France Battles Illegal Online Gambling Surge

The National Gaming Authority (ANJ) has launched a national campaign to combat illegal online gambling sites, particularly on social media. This initiative comes in response to a concerning rise in the use of these platforms, with an estimated three to four million people having gambled on them in 2023. Online casino sites are particularly popular among these users.

A staggering statistic reveals that “one in two consumers of illegal offerings are unaware of its illicit nature,” according to the ANJ. This lack of awareness underscores the need for increased public education about the risks associated with these sites.

The French government is facing significant financial losses due to illegal gambling, estimated at a billion euros. Despite this, the legal gambling sector is thriving. In the first half of 2024, the gross gaming revenue (excluding casinos and gaming clubs) increased by 3.8% compared to 2023, reaching 5.5 billion euros. This growth is largely driven by the strong performance of La Française des Jeux and licensed online gaming operators.

Record-Breaking Revenue for Legal Gaming

Online sports betting has achieved a record performance, pushing the entire online market beyond its previous revenue peak in 2021. The number of players is also soaring, with over 3.2 million unique players participating in the online market during the first half of the year – an all-time high.

The risks for players using illegal sites are substantial. “Unlike legal online gaming offered by FDJ and licensed sites, illegal offerings provide no guarantee of reliability in gaming operations, and cheating is common,” the ANJ warns. Furthermore, these illegal platforms lack the player protection mechanisms found on legal sites, such as dispute resolution and age verification.

Thousands of Illegal Sites Blocked

Official figures indicate that illegal online gambling accounts for between 5% and 11% of the overall gambling market in France. Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, president of the ANJ, emphasizes the detrimental impact on players: “Addiction, debt, and family problems are common consequences.” She adds that 79% of the revenue generated by the illegal market comes from players with problematic gambling habits. “This parallel market provides significant financial support for numerous international criminal organizations,” she concludes.

Since March 2022, the ANJ has been empowered to administratively block and delist illegal gambling sites. They have issued 506 blocking orders, resulting in the blocking of 2,365 URLs. This is nearly twice the number blocked in the previous twelve years through judicial procedures. However, the ANJ faces the ongoing challenge of these sites quickly reappearing, often through “mirror sites” – near-identical copies of the original sites with different URLs.