Gambling Market in France
Speaking of France and its legal status, we are certain that you don’t know much about it. Although France isn’t technically the most popular country when it comes to the casino experience, its history about gambling is just overwhelmingly rich.
Now, French punters, according to the analytics from the web search engines, tend to look for “Quel est le meilleur casino en ligne 2019?” instead of looking whether “Le jeu est-il légal dans son ensemble? Si oui, quelles seront les conséquences de ma participation à cette activité?”
Basically, those results from the web search in the French gambling market represent that people in 2019 are looking for the best gambling platform instead of reviewing the legal provisions regarding casinos.
In that case, we’ve compiled just enough information for you to review this topic in a bit more detail, as follows.
What about a general sense of a legal landscape?
When it comes to a general overview of the legal landscape in France, one might say that it is a bit confusing. From an outsider’s point of view, it is peculiar how French people, with their vibrant tradition of gambling, can have such a wide variety of rules and regulations.
Yet, you shouldn’t forget that France has somewhat a flexible system in terms of monitoring gambling activities.
Regarding the most essential notion that you should know about, we must emphasize that gambling in France holds a legal status. The two regulatory bodies, namely PMU and FDJ, are responsible for tracking and monitoring the industry.
While the PMU is responsible for horse racing betting, the FDJ is the body that deals with betting games. Keeping all these in mind, you should be aware of the overall state of affairs with gambling in France.
Anything about online regulations?
Unlike a wide range of countries in the EU, France stands out as being a unique country with an adaptable approach to online gambling.
When it comes to online gambling facilities, France legalized online casinos in 2010, alongside creating a specialized regulatory body called ARJEL.
This specific supervisory body was created under the French Gambling Act of 2010, eventually becoming a roadmap for further legalization of online betting games.
Considering that, you would have no problems accessing solely French online casino websites, which is a convincing option compared with states like Germany.
It is worth mentioning that ARJEL is taking drastic measures to publish its own lists of the best gambling operators.
A peculiar notion is that it compiles the lists of both the global websites and the local online platforms, which might be appealing to local punters.
Regardless of your opinion on such a unique design for lists with the best casinos, the ARJEL might be a role model for other states and local governments.
Taxes, really?
When it comes to publishing a full review of the gambling market in France, we are certain that all the possible nuances are to be mentioned.
In such a sense, we should mention the tax specifications for gambling in France. In case you are uncertain on what are the official rules, just review our brief recap of taxation climate in the French domain of gambling:
- All poker pots are taxed 2%;
- Sports bets are taxed 8.5%;
- Players pay 7.5% in total rake in every pot;
- Individual gambling websites are also charged taxes/
Keeping all those taxation pressure in mind, you should now be aware that the climate of the French gambling is a bit controversial.
While this country has a flexible legal system, which offers considerable adaptability in terms of gambling innovations, such factors as taxation are backpedaling.
The problem is that the industry average tax rates are far lower than those imposed in France, making it somewhat troublesome to initiate a casino enterprise there.
Casino games?
Although most outsiders believe that the French legal system works perfectly to enable gambling facilities, it would make sense to reveal another nuance.
Back in 2010, when online gambling was officially legalized in France, French politicians made an essential adjustment to casino games.
As a matter of fact, online gambling in France disables the usual access to table games, online slots, and other conventional titles. Solely because of that, you should be aware that such amusements as online slots, Live Dealer game modes, and other features of online casinos are illegal in France.
Although you might easily enjoy some Poker or Blackjack sessions, your beloved online slots wouldn’t be accessible to you in French online casinos.
So, you should pay attention to this factor the next time you think about the French gambling climate.
Conclusion on the Gambling Market in France
Although our brief recap of the legal situation with online casinos in France might be just a tiny guide, you should be aware that France has a legal status of gambling, both online and brick and mortar one.
Yet, that limitation of the French law of The Gambling Act, which disabled access to online casino slots and table games, is definitely influential.
Also, the aforementioned recap of taxes might be decisive for those who are fond of knowing all the details and nuances in the world of gambling.
Although France is somewhat a leader in the European industry of gambling, some of its regulations are still unclear, both to the local punters and outside experts.
