French land-based casino operators they spoke against returning to plans to legalize online gambling.Casinos de France warned that launching a regulated iGaming market would lead to job losses and hit the regional economy.

According to the organization, the legalization of online casinos could reduce budget revenues by €546 million due to a drop in activity in the ground sector and associated costs. The association is confident that the digital sector will not create new players, but will simply redistribute existing demand, reducing the profits of existing establishments.

Casinos de France also criticized the statement of the AFJEL online lobby, which claimed that the state loses €1.2 billion a year due to gray operators. The head of the association and CEO of the Barrière Group network, Gregory Rabuel, called this figure fictitious and emphasized that the emergence of online casinos will lead to cuts in local budgets, loss of jobs and destruction of cultural life in the regions.

France allowed online betting and poker 15 years ago, but online casinos still remain illegal The 2024 attempt to legalize the sector was suspended amid a strong reaction from mayors in the cities where the gambling establishments are located. There are now 203 casinos and 7 gaming clubs in Paris, providing more than 31,000 jobs and generating €1.6 billion in taxation and social benefits annually.