REGULATION IN FRANCE
debates. While online activity represents a minority share of total gross gaming revenue, it remains the fastest growing segment, specifically in sports betting 4 . Expectations briefly rose in recent years that France might follow neighbouring jurisdictions, notably after the government announced a stakeholder consultation in November 2024. However, the ANJ has adopted a cautious position, highlighting the significant public health risks associated with online casinos and underlining their potentially highly addictive nature. This notwithstanding, it has indicated that it would contribute to the development of a coherent, robust and safe legislative framework should the decision to legalize online casinos ultimately be taken 5 . In the recent French political context marked by parliamentary fragmentation and heightened sensitivity to social and health related concerns, such reform appears increasingly unlikely in the near term. Meanwhile, illegal online casinos continue to expand rapidly, capturing a demand that exists regardless of the legal framework. According to estimates by the ANJ for 2023, between three and four million players engage in online casino gambling through illegal platforms 6 , generating annual player losses estimated at between €748 million and €1.5 billion which represents between 5 and 11 percent of the French global gambling market 7 . Advocates of reform argue that online casinos already constitute a significant and economically dynamic sector operating outside regulatory oversight, and that the establishment of a dedicated legislative framework could help channel this activity into a controlled, responsible and secure legal offer. Under such a regime, licensed operators would be required to implement strict safeguards, including robust age verification systems, spending and time limits, and enhanced tools for the prevention and detection of problematic gambling behaviour, thereby strengthening player protection through regulatory supervision rather than prohibition.
Some argue that opening the way to legal online casino would help reduce illegal gambling. Whereas today, although the ANJ holds strengthened enforcement powers, its operational resources appear likely to be insufficient to significantly curb illegal supply, particularly where operators are based outside EU jurisdiction. Since 2022, the ANJ has had the power to initiate actions to administratively block and delist illegal gambling sites 8 . Yet, such procedures must go through formal notices with a five-day delay for the operator to present its observations. Furthermore, the ANJ cannot effectively prevent the rapid reappearance of “mirror sites” by which the illegal operator creates carbon copies of the original site just with another URL address. When the illegal online gambling operator is established abroad, French decisions struggle to be enforced. Yet, such a decision will remain fully enforceable in France, meaning that any return of the illegal operator’s financial profits to French soil will be considered as money laundering, hence criminally sanctioned. Of course, analysis of the current legislative frameworks across European countries shows that online casino legalization does not fully eliminate illegal gambling. In most jurisdictions, a residual share of illegal supply persists. In particular, legalization will not unravel the complexity of enforcement that the national regulator faces with international operators. However, experience has shown that a trustable, visible, commercially attractive, legal gambling option will be favoured by most consumers, as was the case for the music and audiovisual industries. As a result, legalization appears the most efficient option to tackle illegal online gambling. An alternative route? Web3 games regulation France now stands as the last major EU gambling market not to have introduced a legal online casino framework. In the meantime, France chose to direct its regulatory efforts toward a different opportunity: Web3 based gaming, closely linked
4 Ibid 5 ANJ Annual Report 2024 6 PwC Report on illegal online offers requested by ANJ, 15 December 2023 7 ANJ Annual Report 2024 referring to PwC Report on illegal online offers requested by ANJ, 15 December 2023 8 Article 49 of law n° 2022-296, 2 March 2022
IMGL MAGAZINE | JUNE 2026
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