25 Fascinating Gambling in France Statistics You Need To Know in 2024

In 2020, France had a new gambling regulator, L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ). It watches over 14 licensed gambling businesses in the country, covering 78% of the regulated French gambling market.

This change in the gambling regulator indicates the growth of France’s gambling industry. The previous regulator, l’Autorité Nationale de Régulation des Jeux en Ligne (ARJEL), only covered 11% of France’s market.

France’s new regulatory body and the industry will continue to see a spike in participants and revenue. The numbers below will reveal more about France’s gambling industry.

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Highlights of the Article

  • The average French gambler spends $300 on online gambling annually.
  • France’s online sports betting industry reached $1.5 billion in 2020.
  • 53% of France’s accredited organizations are for online sports betting.
  • Online sports betting sites in France had 4.5 million player accounts that bet at least once in 2021.
  • Lottery is the most popular form of offline gambling in France, with 65% of gamblers participating in 2019.
  • Gross gaming revenue of land-based casinos in France fell by 41% due to COVID-19.
  • In France, 1.2% of the population suffers from gambling-related problems.
  • The France online gambling market is expected to grow by 7.2% from 2023 to 2028.

How Much Do French Lose When Gambling?

gambling in france

The majority of French gamblers spend around $81.1 per year. Some allocate more than that, while only 10% of French gamblers spend more than $1,000 annually. French gamblers mostly lose money from taxation. When a gambler wins over €1500 ($1640) in France, the winnings become taxable at a 13.7% rate. 

Find out more data about France’s gambling industry below. 

Online Gambling in France Statistics

France regulates its gambling industry, including the online sector. Any online gambling operators based in France or offshore must apply for a gambling license with ANJ.

These 2 leading monopolies help regulate France’s gambling industry:

  • Française des Jeux (FDJ), which operates the nationwide lottery.
  • Pari-Mutuel Urbain, which monopolizes the country’s horse betting industry.

France recorded its highest quarterly gambling revenue in 2021. It amounted to more than $600 million

Look at the stats below to learn about the country’s thriving online gambling market: 

1. French people spend more than $300 annually on online gambling.

(Statista)

Any gambling activity done over the Internet is within the online gambling market. Bettors can choose to place their wagers through a website or an application. 

This is a convenient mode of gambling, easily accessible from everyday smart gadgets. Because of that, more French people are getting into online gambling. 

France also has the integration of advanced technologies that make more people interested in gambling online. Examples are:

2. Over 60% of French online gamblers were 18 to 24 in 2021.

(Statista)

Young people understand the technology and the Internet the most. Understandably, that makes online gambling popular for ages 18-24 years old.

Among young online gamblers in France, 25% bet on sports events in 2021. Then, 10% of them played poker, which was more prevalent in ages 25 to 34. 

3. French males owned 90% of gaming accounts for online gambling.

(Statista, Royal Society for Public Health)

There is always an imbalance between male and female gamblers. Men have always dominated the gambling scene. French men overrepresent the gaming space for online gambling. 

Gambling provides them with opportunities to prove their masculinity, and these activities answer their sensation or thrill-seeking needs. 

It also provides an adrenaline rush, which is an addicting feeling. It can contribute to their development of problematic gambling behaviors and habits in the long run.

4. Online poker sites in France had over $460 million in 2020 gross revenue.

(Statista)

Online poker sites are gaining popularity for the following reasons:

  • Convenience
  • Receiving huge bonuses
  • Variety of games with more twists

The future is bright for France’s online poker sites. More players will come, which means more revenue.

5. France’s online sports betting industry reached $1.5 billion in 2020.

(Statista)

COVID-19 hit the French economy hard in 2020, but its online gambling market grew. That year, the industry reached nearly $1 billion in revenue. 

The European Nations Championship and the Tokyo Olympic Games were set to put a lot of money into the industry. Despite their postponement in 2020, France’s online sports betting market survived.

The industry will continue to rise with technology’s development and rise in interest. 

Sports Betting in France Statistics

France’s sports betting industry is the second biggest market in Europe, making up 20% of the sports betting market in the region.

See how well the industry is doing with the stats and facts below.

6. France’s sports betting market in 2021 had a value of $4.7 billion.

(Global Data)

Sports betting is a popular gambling sector in France where players predict a sports event’s outcome. Gamblers mainly bet on the following sports:

In 2017, this sector’s market value was only $3.8 million. The development of online methods to bet on sports events helped expand the market. 

7. The annual growth rate of France’s sports betting market grew by 6% from 2017 to 2021.

(Global Data)

With more ways to bet on sports events, France’s industry grows. Most bettors pick the online method where they use applications or websites. Others gamble traditionally by going to a physical venue or having a bookie. Either way is good for the industry.

8. 53% of France’s accredited organizations in 2021 are for online sports betting.

(Statista)

France has a rich sports culture. Participation in sports is high, and the French are proud of their teams. Fans bet on sports events to show loyalty to their athletes or teams.

Out of France’s 28 accredited organizations for online betting, 15 of them are for sports events. 

9. More than 60%of online bettors in France wagered in sports events in 2021.

(Statista)

Technology and accessibility to online sports betting were different almost a decade ago. In 2014, only 26% of sports bettors played online. Now that the age of advanced technology is here, more online sports bettors will come.

10. French people under the age of 34 held 70% of online sports betting accounts in 2020.

(Statista)

The younger generations understand and rely on technology the most. People in this age range are also more interested and invested in sports. When securing an account to bet online, people below 34 are the first to do so.

11. According to a 2019 survey, 9.3% of respondents who bet on sports games at least once were men.

(Statista)

Men have always been more interested in sports than women. Some women are also interested in sports. In the same survey, only 1.3% of the women respondents bet on at least one sports game.

12. Almost 4.5 million player accounts bet once across all online sports betting sites in 2021.

(Statista)

This data comes from all regulated online sports betting sites by ANJ. It is the best result France’s online sports betting industry has seen since 2012. 

France had 27 legal online sports betting sites in 2020, provided by 14 operators. Some of these sports betting sites are:

  • Vbet
  • Zebet
  • Betclic
  • NetBet
  • Betway

More sites can emerge in the future. That will expand the options for users, which can result in more player accounts. 

French Offline Gambling Statistics

French people enjoy a prominent online and offline gambling industry in their country. There are 300 casinos across France. Paris and Cannes have the most famous casinos in France. 

Despite its greatness, France’s gambling industry was not spared by the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. Casinos temporarily closed, and events to bet on decreased due to restrictions and lockdowns.

France’s casino industry experienced a de-growth of 24% of its market value in 2020. That accounted for almost $700 million.

Find out below what more is in store for France’s gambling industry, especially outside the Internet:

13. 65% of gamblers in France bought a lottery ticket in 2019. 

(Online-casinos)

The lottery is one of the most common ways to gamble in France. It is available online, but the lottery is resistant to digitalization.

In the same year, the number of lottery players doubled online, and physically buying a $2.40 lottery ticket was still more prevalent in France. 

14. Player spending with Française des Jeux (FDJ) increased by 9.9% in 2019.

(iGaming Business)

Française des Jeux (FDJ) is France’s national lottery operator. It is the leading operator in the lottery market, where players spent more than $10 billion in 2019. 

Since the lottery is widely loved in France, the market revenue of FDJ in the same year was almost $3 billion. 

15. Within 6 months, Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) reported a gross gambling revenue of $1 billion.

(iGaming Business)

Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) monopolies France’s horse betting business. It oversees the industry’s design, promotion, marketing, and bet processing. 

In Europe, PMU is the 1st pari-mutuel operator in horse racing, while it is 3rd globally. 

Compared to earlier data from 2021, PMU’s gross gambling revenue was up by 14.5%. That means the industry is recovering and reaching its level before the pandemic.

16. Men (5.5%) bet on horse racing more than women (1.9%).

(Statista)

The majority of bettors in France’s horse betting industry are men. Horse racing is a skill-based gambling type that provides the exact thrill men seek. 

Most of the spectators and participants in horse racing are men. Racing events also become social events for men, making betting more enjoyable and exciting.

17. France’s 2021 horse race betting generated a $410 million gross revenue.

(Statista)

France’s revenue from horse betting was slightly more than $100 million in 2010. That figure tripled after a decade. People are into it because they can start little and still win large.

Despite revenue growth, horse betting is France’s least modernized sport and gambling activity. 

18. Over 50% of French people who played poker in 2019 were only casual players.

(Statista)

Casual players play less than once a month. When they play, they only stay for a few hands and quickly stop themselves from playing more than they intended. 

Meanwhile, 1.2% of poker players join poker games every day. They are the opposite of casual players and are called “regulars.”

19. The gross gaming revenue of land-based casinos in France fell by 41%.

(iGaming Business)

Gross gaming revenue is a metric used by gambling companies. Its value is derived from total wagers minus the amount that bettors win.

This data was recorded between November 2020 to October 2021. That time was the pandemic’s peak when casinos were closed down. That is why there is so much revenue lost by the industry.

Gambling Addictions Statistics in France

In 2019, France’s Gaming Observatory missions were transferred under the French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (FODDA). The way the French government sees it, serious gambling addiction goes the same way as tobacco and drugs.

ANJ and FODDA partnered to organize and enhance the country’s knowledge about gambling addiction in 2021. ANJ even promised 0.002% of its stake to finance this partnership.

See the numbers below to understand why such changes and partnerships were necessary for France:

20. Around 1.2 million people in France, 1.7% of its population, suffer from gambling-related problems.

(Online-casinos)

Problematic gamblers lose control of their betting habits and become dependent on the thrill that comes from the activities.

Some examples of gambling-related problems are:

  • Bankruptcy and financial loss
  • Losing a job
  • Homelessness
  • Changes in personality and mood
  • Breakdown of personal relationships
  • Poor work or academic performance
  • Development of mental health conditions

That is how detrimental problem gambling can be. The gambler themself would not be the only person affected. Their friends and family can experience second-hand harm from them.

21. 37% of at-risk individuals in France are problem gamblers.

(Online-casinos, ASPR)

Out of 1 million at-risk individuals in France, 370,000 are problem gamblers. At-risk individuals are:

  • People with disabilities
  • Experiencing homelessness
  • People of low socioeconomic status
  • People who live(d) in institutional settings
  • People with pharmacological dependence

Suffering gambling-related problems can only make these people’s lives more challenging. 

22. A 2019 survey revealed that 4.4% of French gamblers are showing gambling-related issues that can get severe in the future.

(Online-casinos)

This is a yearly survey, and this latest data is worrying. In the 2018 survey, only 3.8% of the respondents showed gambling-related issues.

The government is taking action since France is seeing increased problem gamblers. Non-profit organizations also run several hotlines across France. 

ANJ has managed self-exclusion files since 2021. They made the filing of self-exclusion easier and more accessible online.

In France, gambling self-exclusion is a confidential procedure. It is where a problem gambler reaches out to the authorities for help regarding their excessive gambling. 

Filing self-exclusion would mean getting banned from gambling activities. The ban is valid for a minimum of 3 years. After that, the individual can request that the ban be lifted when they see fit.

France’s Gambling Market Growth

As revealed by ANJ, France’s gross gambling revenue was $11.48 billion in 2021, 7% higher than the COVID-hit industry in 2020.

Now that the French gambling market is recovering from the impacts of the pandemic, the industry will see more growth. See the following data below to know more:

23. The 2021 market size of France’s casino sector was valued at $2.3 billion.

(Global Data)

The market of France’s casino industry accounts for 2% of the global market size. This gives France the second biggest market size for the global casino industry.

This is unsurprising since France has some of the oldest and most famous casinos. 

One of the most successful casinos in France is the Casino Barrière de Cannes. It is home to a huge number of slot machines and table games. Every year, around 60,000 players visit this casino and enjoy its ambiance.

24. The French online gambling market will grow to 7.2% from 2023 to 2028.

(iMARC)

France’s 2022 online gambling market size was $6.4 billion. With a 7.2% growth rate, the market will reach $10 billion in 2028.

Here are the driving factors that help increase the country’s online gambling market size:

  • Adoption of smartphones
  • Easy access to casino platforms
  • Higher user penetration due to growing interest

25. Gambling operators in France rely (37%) on digital advertising.

(iGaming Business)

In the gambling industry, advertisements promote gambling activities and influence people to participate. 

For the market to keep growing, operators constantly advertise gambling activities. Besides digital advertising, French gambling operators rely on television (31%) and billboards (11%).

Wrap Up

France has a well-regulated gambling industry with a hands-on regulatory body. The country also looks out for its citizens by providing ease to problem gamblers. 

Gambling is well-embedded in French culture. With the help of technological development, the online sector of this industry will continue to experience an upsurge.

Plus, millions of tourists visit France per year. Some step into casinos, hoping to encounter the French gambling experience. Based on the numbers above, France’s gambling industry will only continue to see growth.

FAQ

What is the gambling capital of France?

Cannes is the gambling capital of France and the European capital of gaming.

What is the gambling age in France?

The gambling age in France is 18.

What is the French gambling strategy?

A martingale is a French gambling strategy that originated in 18th century France.