Poll: Is France an attractive market for operators?
Unibet and bwin.party extending their French licences until 2020 suggests some operators believe the French market is still worth betting on
Operators including Unibet, bwin.party and Betclic Everest last week confirmed they had renewed their French licences until 2020, some five years after France first opened its market to foreign competitors.
High tax rates levied on both players and operators, restrictions on verticals and the continued strength of local giants like PMU has meant operators exploring new European markets have tended to quickly dismiss France, despite its obvious potential.
Recent changes to VAT have hit poker operators particularly hard have forced some firms to withdraw from France altogether, but there are signs of encouragement and rumours persist that online casino may finally be opened up after a blanket ban.
In addition, Christian Eckert of the ruling Socialist Party last month said the government would assess proposals to include online poker liquidity sharing between France and other EU countries as part of a new Digital Bill expected before Parliament next year.
Revenues are on the rise, too. Figures recently released by l’Autorité de regulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL) showed that GGR from regulated French online sportsbook operators soared 17% to 63m in Q1.
However, the overall market rose a more modest 3% to 190m during the period, with the poker vertical suffering badly with a 7% year-on-year decline in GGR, falling from 65m to 61m.
Some experts say that major movement in the French market could be on the horizon, with the government finally appearing open to pushing through changes.
But with obvious limitations still in place, this week’s eGaming Review poll asks whether France is an attractive market for operators. Have your say on the right-hand side of the page.