Trade association denounces the online gaming lobby’s ‘falsehoods’
Faced with the increasing number of French players engaging in online gambling on illegal sites, the French Online Gaming Association (AFJEL) has warned of the urgent need to legalise online casino activity in order to ‘dry up the illegal market.’
This demand has drawn sharp criticism from the land-based casino industry, which reacted strongly through a press release issued by its main trade association, Casinos de France.
“For the past few days, the online gaming operators’ lobby has been conducting a new lobbying campaign in favour of legalising online casinos, relying on falsehoods, foremost among them the alleged loss of revenue for the State. As has already been demonstrated during previous budget discussions, legalising online casinos would not generate any overall benefit for society. On the contrary, it would cause massive job losses, the closure of dozens of establishments, a reduction in the resources available to local authorities, and a weakening of social and economic ties. Contrary to AFJEL’s claims, Casinos de France estimates that legalising online casinos would result in a net annual loss of €546m for public finances, taking into account the indirect effects related to health and employment in local communities,” the trade association states
Casinos de France emphasised that the activity of the 203 French casinos and seven Parisian gaming clubs is based on a ‘time-tested, regulated, transparent, and responsible model.’
“These establishments form a unique ecosystem that combines high standards, oversight, and strong local ties. Together, they support more than 31,000 direct and indirect jobs, generate €1.6 billion in tax and social security revenue, and contribute over €600m annually to local municipalities, half of which directly funds local investment and the cultural and artistic activities of our cities.”
“This model is not just economic: it is social, human, and profoundly responsible. In a physically supervised gaming environment, casinos are the only places where every player is screened before even crossing the threshold, where minors are systematically excluded, and where risky behaviors are identified and addressed by trained staff. The supervision is real, immediate, and human. Casinos directly ensure addiction prevention and support concrete responsible gaming programs. They are places of community and social connection, where gambling is never an incentive, but a controlled, monitored practice rooted in the local economy,” the union emphasizes in its press release.
This model stands in stark contrast to that offered by online operators, who, lacking any physical proximity to their clientele, operate in an environment that doesn’t guarantee the same level of security for players.
“Wherever online casinos have been legalised, digital gaming hasn’t complemented the physical offering: it has absorbed it, without curbing illegal gambling. In Sweden, land-based establishments have disappeared, giving way to a fully digital experience, and yet nearly 40 per cent of bets continue to be placed on unauthorised sites. In Finland, the public monopoly has lost half its network while offshore platforms are thriving. In Switzerland, despite DNS blocking, illegal sites reappear under different extensions, and in Belgium, a growing number of players are migrating abroad, attracted by bonuses and more permissive conditions,” said Casinos de France.
“Everywhere, the promise of new revenue has turned into a net loss for local communities: decreased activity, job losses, a surge in risky behavior, and the persistence of a thriving black market. The mechanism is relentless: when digital offerings take hold, they capture existing customers without creating new players. The market doesn’t expand, it shifts, and illegal activity takes hold,” the statement continues.
“The true French exception is not the absence of online casinos: it is the richness and density of its physical network. With more than 200 establishments spread across the country, France boasts the largest network of casinos in Europe, offering the vast majority of players the opportunity to enjoy their leisure activity in a regulated, welcoming, and safe environment. This unique territorial presence guarantees human oversight, genuine prevention, and direct economic ties to local communities, while some would like to portray the non-legalization of online casinos as an anomaly. It is in fact this model of balance and proximity that constitutes the true French exception, envied and recognized throughout Europe,” the employers’ association emphasizes.
Finally, Casinos de France welcomes the significant progress made in the fight against illegal platforms, exemplified by the recent joint operation between the Central Racing and Gaming Service (SCCJ) and the National Gaming Authority (ANJ), which led to the dismantling of the illegal Crésus Casino website. “This exemplary action demonstrates that French law already has the necessary tools to protect players and uphold the rule of law. For Casinos de France, the only credible response to illegal gambling is to strengthen the resources available to regulators in order to permanently shut down illegal networks and enforce the law more firmly. Under the guise of the digitalization of the economy, we cannot sell everything, put everything online, or market everything. Let us not allow the legalization of an activity that is dangerous to the health of the French people and destabilizing for the economies of local communities and the country as a whole,” the press release warns.
“The €1.2bn ‘lost revenue’ brandished by AFJEL does not exist. It is a deception and worse, it is a loss for the State: destruction of local jobs, reduction of municipal budgets, drying up of the cultural life of the towns. I am not even talking about the impact on the mental health of the French, which would amount to hundreds of millions of additional costs for Social Security,” added Grégory Rabuel, President of Casinos de France and CEO of the Barrière group.
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Trade association denounces the online gaming lobby’s ‘falsehoods’ Faced with the increasing number of French players engaging in online gambling on illegal sites, the French Online Gaming Association (AFJEL) has warned of the urgent need to legalise online casino activity in order to ‘dry up the illegal market.’ This demand has drawn sharp criticism from…
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