Cresus Casino Shut Down in France: A Blow to Illegal Online Gambling
Cresus Casino, a well-known online casino among French players, was permanently blocked by the ANJ (National Gaming Authority) on June 20, 2024. This illegal casino, like other unregulated sites in France, had amassed 3 million monthly visitors before its closure. After months of attempts to relaunch, the official site finally closed its doors in 2025 under pressure from the ANJ.
Key Takeaways from the Cresus Casino Blockage:
- Since early 2025, the official Cresus Casino site has been permanently shut down. An alert message informs players of the closure.
- The ANJ successfully blocked the largest online casino site in France through internet service providers.
- Cresus Casino, with its 2 million monthly visitors, is no longer accessible in France. The platform quickly changed its domain name, which is now subject to another ANJ block.
- Online casinos are illegal in France, yet they attract millions of players annually outside any legal framework, responsible gaming practices, or data privacy safeguards.
Official Cresus Casino Site Permanently Closed in 2025
Following months of pressure from the ANJ, the official Cresus Casino site ultimately closed, displaying a clear informational message and preventing new registrations or logins.
French players are currently prohibited from playing at online casinos, although legislation to legalize them may be considered in 2025.
Players on Cresus Casino faced the risk of never being able to withdraw their winnings and being pressured to deposit more funds via credit card.
However, online poker, sports betting, and lottery games are available on licensed platforms. Approximately fifteen operators are authorized to operate in France under licenses issued by the ANJ.
Cresus Casino Accessible Through a New Address Since July
After being shut down by the ANJ in collaboration with internet service providers, Cresus Casino was quickly relaunched on a new address. For nearly three months, players could access the online casino’s slot machines again, but withdrawals were no longer guaranteed.
The ANJ is aware of this workaround but is struggling to secure another block of the site, which remains active with a large community of loyal players.
Reviews on TrustPilot are overwhelmingly negative, despite some positive testimonials purchased by the online casino. The site is no longer considered reliable.
Cresus Casino: A Major Player in Illegal Online Gambling Finally Blocked
Cresus Casino was administratively blocked by the ANJ on June 20, 2024, according to the ANJ’s official website.
Cresus Casino has hundreds of thousands of active players, 98% of whom are French. Despite being prohibited, online casino games continue to proliferate, aided by a lack of strict laws and the ease of circumventing restrictions through VPNs and mobile internet access.
This blockage is a significant blow to the illegal online casino industry, as cresuscasino.com had a record audience of over 3.2 million visitors in June.
Unpaid Winnings Led to the Blockage
The ANJ states that it received numerous reports of unpaid winnings from Cresus Casino, prompting the immediate blockage.
The issue of illegal gaming offerings is well-known, with the same tactics used to encourage players to wager more money and withdraw as little as possible. Jackpots are extremely rare online, and the high return-to-player rate maintains a level of satisfaction among players, quickly becoming obsessive, who will inevitably lose their stakes after hours of play.
While Cresus Casino’s primary issue appears to be slow or impossible withdrawals, here is a list of the main risk factors of playing at an online casino in France today:
⚠️ Playing at an online casino always involves using an illegal platform.
- ➡️ 100% of online casino sites are based in tax havens. No legal recourse can be taken against them.
- ➡️ The protection of your personal and banking data cannot be guaranteed. Your online casino may sell your data to third-party services (trading offers, binary options, crypto) to encourage you to spend even more money.
- ➡️ Responsible gaming practices are not followed by these illegal casinos, placing no limits on your gambling, which can become highly problematic.
- ➡️ Winnings are not secure. An online casino may refuse to pay out your winnings, close your player account, or change its name to create a false cessation of activity.
Cresus Casino Launches a New Mirror Site: Is This an Admission of the ANJ’s Powerlessness?
Following the blockage of its domain name cresuscasino.com, the company reproduced its website and made it accessible to its players through the new domain name cresus-casino.com.
Like many torrent or streaming sites, administrative blocks are often countered within days by the creation of mirror sites.
The ANJ has already indicated that it will take further action to block this new website.
The ANJ Initiates Legal Action Against the Owners of Cresus Casino
Beyond simply blocking the site, the ANJ has announced that it will initiate legal proceedings against the illegal operators of the website. The risk is real, as French law provides for a penalty of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of €90,000 (these penalties being increased to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of €200,000 when the offense is committed by an organized group).
The Question of a Legal Framework for Online Casinos in France
Given the dozens of websites offering casino games on the French market and the “relative” power of the ANJ and its blocking capabilities, the question of more flexible French legislation around online casinos is more relevant than ever in 2024.
We are facing a very French paradox. On the one hand, in the absence of regulation of the online casino market, these casinos are illegal, but they proliferate, generating billions of euros in revenue for establishments based abroad. On the other hand, France has the largest number of land-based casinos relative to the number of inhabitants, with over 200 casinos on its territory, managed by large casino groups.
In view of the inability to manage a wealthy and growing illegal offering and based on the positive feedback from the poker, sports betting, and horse racing sectors, the ANJ and the National Assembly would be well advised to come to the negotiating table to propose a law allowing the many players to indulge in online casinos in a secure environment supported by professional casino operators.
What follow-up should be given to this blockage of the Cresus Casino site? How can players be better informed of the risks involved on these illegal platforms? What legal framework can be imagined for online casinos in France? These are all questions that urgently need to be answered…
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