French trade association calls for urgent market overhaul
AFJEL highlights four priorities for the French market and says a review should happen "as quickly as possible"
The French online gambling trade body Association Francaise de Jeu en Ligne (AFJEL) has called for a review of the country’s legislative framework to happen “as quickly as possible” in order to improve conditions in the heavily taxed market.
AFJEL, whose members include Betclic, Unibet and France Pari, released a report earlier this week on the market’s performance since regulated and highlighted four priorities it claimed could create up to 2,000 new jobs.
The four points include broadening the number of sports betting markets and games available in online poker, the legalisation of online casino gaming, switching taxation from turnover to gross gaming revenue and implementing a more competitive tax structure.
Current French licensees are required to pay corporation tax of 33%, in addition to a 9.3% sports betting turnover tax and 2% tax on online poker cash game pots.
AFJEL noted that the French regulator had granted 62 licences since 2010 but only half of those remain active in the market today with operators having made a cumulative loss of 35m in 2013.
However, despite AFJEL voicing its concerns on the market’s current predicament, France Pari CEO Hervé Schlosser recently told eGaming Review any changes were unlikely to occur before the presidential election in 2017 due to the perceived political risk.
Last month Unibet, bwin.party and Betclic Everest Group were among the first batch of operators to have their operating licences renewed until 2020 by French online gambling regulator l’Autorité de regulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL).
AFJEL announced earlier this month that Stockholm-listed operator Unibet had become its latest member, joining operators including ZEturf, Betclic Everest Group and France Pari at the trade body.