The French gambling regulator, the ANJ (Autorite Nationale des Jeux), has announced that the country will reach a new record in gross gambling revenues (GGR) by 2023. This is EUR13.4bn ($14.3bn/PS11.6bn).
The ANJ noted that the GGR of France in 2023 increased by 3.5% compared to 2022. This was the first increase since 2019. The ANJ noted that all market segments in France saw their GGR increase for the first time since 2019.
The ANJ stated that French online gaming was in a positive trajectory after stabilizing its numbers by 2022. Market is still recovering after the Covid-19 epidemic.
Isabelle FalquePierrotin is the president of ANJ and she is convinced that the relative tightness in regulation compared with other markets benefits the French industry.
Falque-Pierrotin stated that “this good health of market shows that demanding regulations is not an obstruction to development.” This growth is a great reason to focus on the ANJ’s goal of reducing excessive gambling in the coming years.
France Online Gambling is on the Rise
ANJ pointed out that online is a sector in France which performs particularly well. The GGR of the sector will reach EUR2.3bn by 2023. This represents a 7.2% increase year-onyear. The growth was moderate in 2022 with a mere 0.8% rise on the previous year.
Online players reached 3.6 millions, and this number increased in every segment except sports betting. Online sports betting remains the largest segment of the online market with 16 operators.
Online sports betting grew by 6.4% in GGR compared with 2022. It reached EUR1.5bn, despite the absence of major sporting events. This growth is expected to continue with the summer of 2024, which includes the Olympic Games and Euro 2024, both of which are being held in Paris.
Online GGR was dominated by sports betting, which accounted for 63.3%. Poker and horseracing accounted for 21,6% and 15% respectively.
The number of accounts active also decreased by 3.9%, despite the increase in GGR.
According to the ANJ in France, football will be the most popular sport by 2023, with EUR4.4 billion in handling. Tennis, on the other hand, is responsible for EUR1.9 billion. Basketball and rugby were ranked third and forth with EUR899m each. These four sports alone accounted for 88.5% in online betting by 2023.
PMU and FDJ flourishing
Both La Francaise des Jeux (FJ) and Pari-Mutuel Urbain, or PMU, saw growth by 2023. They accounted for 62.7% France’s GGR.
The FDJ had a particularly good performance with a GGR in 2023 of EUR6.6bn, an increase of 1.8% over 2022. In 2023, approximately 27 million French players played at FDJ. This represents a 6% increase year-on-year.
The growth in 2023 was driven primarily by the point-of sale sports betting and competitive activities. These increased 10.4% GGR compared to 2022. FDJ’s GGR in the past year was 16.2% and EUR1.1 billion gross profit.
FDJ’s 2023 success has continued into 2024. Its revenues reached EUR710m in Q1, an increase of 7.2% year on year. The gaming revenue was also EUR645m. This is a rise of 3.1% compared with the same period last year.
In January, it was announced that FDJ had submitted an offer of SEK27.96bn (PS2.10bn/EUR2.45bn/$2.67bn) to purchase all of the outstanding share capital of Kindred Group, with FDJ stating afterwards it was looking to form the second biggest operator in European gambling.
PMU’s betting activity grew, but at a slower pace than in previous years. GGR was EUR1.7bn – a mere 1% increase on 2022.
ANJ highlights the casino sector as a growing industry.
The casino industry grew by 8.1% between 2023 and 2024, reaching an all-time high of EUR2.7bn in gross gaming revenue.
The ANJ noted that these increases were felt by a majority in France’s casinos, as 73.8% reported higher GGR than 2019 before the pandemic. The ANJ estimates that slot machines contribute to over 80% casino GGR.
GGR, which includes seven clubs across France, reached EUR119m by 2023. This is 10.9% more than the EUR107.3m figure in 2022.
ANJ warnings against gambling ahead of summer sporting events
Despite France’s increasing GGR, the ANJ stated that this increase in bet activity is a warning to operators who should pay particular attention to the harmful betting ahead of the busy sporting calendar for the remainder of this year.
A decrease in the number of online players betting on sports coincided with a 6.3% rise in the average stakes for each active player. This is a sign that more intense play has taken place. The ANJ advised operators to “be particularly attentive” in how they gamble to prevent vulnerable players from gambling too much.
Earlier in this month, when the ANJ reviewed the action plans of operators to protect vulnerable players, it stated that “significant progress” was made on the mission to combat problem gambling.
Falque-Pierrotin said: “As 2024 is marked by two sporting events of major importance (Euro 2024 Football and the Paris Olympic Games), ANJ reminds operators to be more vigilant in preventing gambling behavior amongst minors, and to prevent gambling practices amongst vulnerable persons (particularly 18-24 year olds).
