Tensions between France’s gambling industries have escalated following renewed calls for the regulation of online casino (iCasino), a proposal fiercely advocated by the Association Française du Jeu en Ligne (AFJEL) and vehemently opposed by the land-based group, Casinos de France (CdF).
The dispute was reignited at AFJEL’s annual meeting in Paris, where industry leaders urged the government to urgently address the rapid spread of illegal gambling.
AFJEL President Nicolas Béraud stated that France requires a modern regulatory framework that supports legal operators and provides the necessary tools to combat the unlicensed market. AFJEL’s latest study reveals that the number of French consumers using illegal gambling sites has surged by 35% over the last two years, now totaling 5.4 million players, with most activity concentrated in online casino games.
Béraud argues that the most effective way to curb this illegal play is to grant licensed operators the flexibility needed to compete.
In addition to regulatory pushback, Béraud criticized the government’s new 15% levy on operators’ marketing and media spending, which came into effect in July. He warned that this punitive tax risks discouraging essential sports sponsorships, contradicting the government’s push for private funding to support sports bodies.
CdF, the trade group representing the country’s traditional casino operators, sharply rejected AFJEL’s projection that iCasino regulation could generate an additional €1.2 billion in annual tax revenue. CdF argued that legalization would instead devastate regional economies, diminish local tax receipts, and result in widespread job losses among its members.
CdF President Grégory Rabuel dismissed AFJEL’s financial claims as a “mirage,” warning that the economic and social fallout would ultimately result in a net loss for the state.
The conflict highlights a deep divide in French gaming policy. While AFJEL argues for modernization to shift players from illegal to regulated markets, CdF maintains that liberalization would destabilize the historic casino network, which serves as a major anchor for local tourism and employment.
The French government is now tasked with the difficult balancing act of modernizing its laws without destabilizing one of Europe’s oldest casino networks.
Grégory Rabuel, CdF President and Groupe Barrière CEO:
“The €1.2bn ‘shortfall’ cited by AFJEL does not exist. It is a mirage, and worse, it is a loss for the state: destruction of local jobs, reduction in municipal budgets, drying up of cultural life in communities… not to mention the impact on the mental health of the French people, which would amount to hundreds of millions in additional costs for social security.”
Isabelle Djian-Lignon, AFJEL spokesperson:
“If anything, [the figures] are underestimated as there are now more players in the illegal market than on the legal market; it’s endemic.”
