The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the gambling regulator in France, has announced that the country will achieve a record gross gaming turnover (GGR) of 13,4 billion euros (11,6 billion pounds/$14,3 billion) in 2023
Gambling turnover in France for 2023 saw an increase of 3,5% compared to 2022 figures, with the ANJ noting that all market segments in the country saw their GGR increase for the first time since 2019. However, the ANJ also highlighted that growth in France is slightly lower than the European average growth of 5,5%.
The ANJ highlighted that French online gambling is on an upward trajectory, having seen its numbers stabilize in 2022. The market is still recovering from the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, president of the ANJ, is convinced that the relatively strict regulation compared to other markets is benefiting the French industry.
“This good state of health of the market demonstrates that demanding regulation is not an obstacle to development – he declared Falque-Pierrotin -. This growth makes the goal of reducing the number of excessive players that the ANJ has placed at the center of its action even more relevant for the years to come."
Online gambling in France is growing
The ANJ has highlighted online as an area performing particularly well in France, with the sector's GGR reaching €2,3 billion in 2023, an increase of 7,2% year-on-year. This follows moderate growth in 2022, which saw an increase of just 0,8% compared to 2021.
The number of online players stood at 3,6 million, with the figure increasing in all segments except sports betting. However, online sports betting is still the most invested segment in the online market, with 16 legal operators present in the market.
Online sports betting recorded growth of 6,4% compared to 2022, reaching €1,5 billion despite the lack of a major sporting event. With the summer just around the corner including Euro 2024 and the Olympic Games, the latter of which will be held in the French capital of Paris, the growth looks set to continue.
Sports betting accounted for 63,3% of online GGR, while poker and horse racing accounted for 21,6% and 15,1%, respectively.
Despite the increase in online GGR, the number of unique players dropped by 7,3%, while the number of active accounts decreased by 3,9%.
According to the ANJ, football is the dominant sport in France in 2023, with a turnover of 4,4 billion euros, while tennis is responsible for 1,9 billion euros. Basketball and rugby came in third and fourth place, with €899 million and €247 million respectively. These four sports alone will account for 88,5% of online sports betting in 2023.
FDJ and PMU growing
France's two exclusive operators, La Française des Jeux and Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU), both recorded growth in 2023, accounting for 62,7% of France's total GGR.
The FDJ recorded a particularly strong performance, with a GGR of 6,6 billion euros in 2023, up 1,8% compared to 2022. Around 27 million French people played with the FDJ in 2023, with an increase by 6% compared to the previous year.
FDJ's growth in 2023 was driven by in-store sports betting and competing businesses, which saw a 10,4% increase in GGR compared to 2022. These businesses accounted for 16,2% of FDJ Group's GGR for the year and 1,1 billion euros in gross profit.
FDJ's strong 2023 was confirmed in 2024. Its turnover reached 710 million euros in the 1st quarter, an increase of 7,2% compared to the previous year. Gaming revenues also reached 645 million euros, an increase of 3,1% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
In January it was announced that FDJ made an offer of 27,96 billion Swedish crowns (2,10 billion pounds/2,45 billion euros/2,67 billion dollars) to purchase all of the capital outstanding stock of Kindred Group; FDJ later said it wanted to form Europe's second-largest gambling operator.
PMU also saw growth in betting activity, although the increase slowed compared to previous years, with a GGR of €1,7 billion, an increase of just 1% compared to 2022.
ANJ highlights how the casino sector is growing in France
Casino activity increased by 8,1% in 2023, with the sector achieving a record GGR of €2,7 billion over the year.
The ANJ highlighted that these increases affected the majority of casinos in France, with 73,8% of establishments seeing higher GGRs than in 2019, before the pandemic. Slot machines are still a key driver of this growth, with the ANJ estimating that slots contribute more than 80% of casinos' GGR.
As for the seven gaming clubs in France, gross revenues will reach 119 million euros in 2023, 10,9% more than the 107,3 million euros in 2022.
The ANJ warns against gambling practices ahead of a busy sporting summer
Despite the increase in GGR in France, the ANJ noted that the increase in betting activity should serve as a warning to operators to pay particular attention to harmful gambling ahead of the busy sporting calendar for the rest of the year.
The decline in online sports betting players coincided with a roughly 6,3% increase in average bets per active player, a sign of more intense gaming. The ANJ has warned operators to be “particularly careful” about how players gamble, to prevent vulnerable punters from gambling excessively.
Earlier this month, the ANJ said “significant progress” had been made in its mission to reduce problem gambling while reviewing operators' action plans to protect vulnerable gamblers.
Falque-Pierrotin explained: “In the context of 2024, characterized by the holding of two major sporting events (Euro 2024 football and the Paris Olympic Games), the ANJ reminded operators that, due to the risk of intensification of gaming practices, they will have to exercise greater vigilance regarding the prevention of gambling among minors and gaming behaviors, in particular among vulnerable people (in particular young people aged 18-24)”.
