French Land-Based Casino Sector Pushes Back Against Online Gambling Reform

Casinos de France, the leading organisation representing the nation’s brick-and-mortar casinos, has issued a firm rejection of any government initiative aimed at authorising online casino gaming.

Their stance comes as renewed pressure builds to revamp France’s digital gambling framework amid rising concerns over illicit online operators. At present, France only permits online sports betting, horse-race wagering and poker, leaving casino-style games strictly off-limits.

According to Casinos de France, allowing online casino platforms would inflict a net annual loss of €546 million on public finances once indirect social and employment-related costs are taken into account. Grégory Rabuel, President of Casinos de France and CEO of the Barrière Group, pushed back against AFJEL’s assertion that illegal operators siphon off €1.2 billion each year. “It is a hoax and worse, it is a loss for the state,” he said, stressing that the wider consequences would be severe. “Destruction of local jobs, reduction of municipal budgets, the withering away of cultural life in towns and villages; I am not even mentioning the impact on the mental health of the French, which would amount to hundreds of millions in additional costs for social security.”

The association cautioned that opening the market to online casino companies could prompt substantial layoffs, lead to venue closures and drain financial resources from municipalities—developments they argue would threaten local social and economic stability.

France’s current casino landscape includes 203 casinos and seven gaming clubs in Paris, collectively employing more than 31,000 people. The industry contributes around €1.6 billion in taxes and social security payments every year, with more than €600 million flowing directly to municipal budgets. Casinos de France contends that legal online casinos would inevitably erode these crucial revenue streams.

The group pointed to international examples to reinforce its warning. In Sweden, all land-based casinos eventually shut down following the legalisation of online gambling, while nearly 40% of wagers still migrate to unlicensed sites. Switzerland, too, continues to grapple with mirror sites that bypass regulatory blocks. “Everywhere, the promise of new revenue has turned into a net loss for local communities: decreased economic activity, job losses, a surge in risky behaviour and the persistence of a thriving black market,” Casinos de France stated.

In its conclusion, the trade body argued that the existing network of physical casinos safeguards employment, supports public health and sustains municipal finances—a balance they maintain cannot be reproduced by online operators.

By fLEXI tEAM