France’s illegal gambling industry is now thought to be worth an estimated 1.5 billion EUR, which would put it at 10 percent of the annual wagering amount.
According to French gambling regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), 510 illegal websites, with 21 sites responsible for 60 percent of illegal gambling traffic.
The study’s duration spanned from January to March of 2023 and included a web panel comprised of over 11,000 participants.
The ANJ stated that:
“The scale and risks associated with illegal gambling justify even more vigorous measures to combat it, in addition to those already being taken by the ANJ.”
Additionally, a PwC study estimated that gross gambling revenue (GGR) from illegal gambling is in the region of €748m to €1.5bn, constituting 5 to 11 percent of the total gambling market.
High-risk gamblers
Alarmingly, 79 percent of the GGR generated from this unregulated gambling is attributed to high-risk gamblers.
The main motivations for participating in these illicit operator’s activities include the absence of limits, lack of identity checks, higher winning expectations, and a wider range of games.
Over half the websites identified by the ANJ are companies registered with a gaming licence in Curaçao, with online casino games and slot machines estimated to account for 50 percent of illegal online traffic.
ANJ action plan
In lieu of these statistics, the ANJ has revealed a plan to combat these illicit activities, which includes reporting to authorities, particularly against operators in both Curaçao and Cyprus.
Action will also be taken against software publishers, hosting providers, and payment service providers, should they be found to be facilitating financial flows between illegal operators and players.
Legal gambling market in France
France’s legal gambling market reached a record GGR of 12.9 billion EUR in 2022, a 20 percent year-on-year increase.
Online gambling contributed 2.17 billion EUR, with 1.38 billion from online sports betting, 442 million EUR from online poker and 346 million EUR from online horse racing.
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