France May Legalize Online Casinos in 2025
Online casino games could soon be legal to play in France. The government’s main idea is to fill in holes in its budget through a high tax rate for operators of more than 50%. Many people consider this as a risky manoeuvre due to addiction risks and job losses.
Online casino games could be available in France soon © © meineresterampe, Pixabay
Legalising Online Casinos in France – Opportunities and Concerns
The French government has announced it is taking steps to legalise online casino games in the country for the first time, but the move is not fully welcome.
Online betting is already allowed in France, but the administration led by the country’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier now wants to permit games such as roulette.
Poker is an exception to the current ban on online casino games due to the fact it is deemed to be more a game of skill than luck.
Steps to legalising other online casino games will now be debated in the French parliament after an amendment to the planned 2025 budget was confirmed.
France has been struggling to get a grip on illegal online casino betting, with moves to legalise the sector aiming to claw back revenue for the state.
Illegal online betting is said to generate up to 1.5 billion euros a year in France, which has a significant public budget deficit.
Jobs At Risk
Some of the opposition towards the plan to allow online casino games in France comes from operators of brick-and-mortar casinos in the country.
According to France’s Casino Association , around a third of such land-based casinos might be forced to close as a direct result of online casino games being made legal.
Head of the body Gregory Rabuel told the business news outlet Les Echos that as many as 15,000 jobs would be lost, with France currently home to more than 200 casinos.
Writing on his X account, Rabuel added: “If the online casino market were to open up one day in France, it would have to be done exclusively with the help of physical casinos. It is a question of responsibility, security and the defence of local areas.”
France, along with Cyprus, is one of the only countries in Europe yet to permit online casino games. The online lottery is allowed, however, via a single operator, La Française des Jeux.
Risk Of Addiction
Something else France should consider is that online casino games such as slots are widely believed to be particularly addictive.
France’s gaming watchdog (ANJ) noted that allowing legal online casino games will not necessarily prevent illegal operators from targeting players.
ANJ spokesperson Elsa Trochet-Macé told Euronews: “This is a complex question as the online casino offer is particularly addictive. Nor is it certain that the opening of this new offer will automatically dry up the illegal offer.”
She added: “Finally, we must be careful not to weaken our network of more than 200 land-based casinos.”
Over half of the revenues earned by online casino games would be taxed.
