Senators’ approval of additional tax increases for all gaming verticals this past weekend caused dissatisfaction in the French casino industry.
Senators pushed through the changes yesterday after they had previously been rejected by MPs in the area. The Lottery GGR will now be taxed at 10%, all retail sports bets at 10% from 7%, and internet bets at 15% from 10.5%.
The proposed regulations will raise the GGR taxes paid by French casinos and internet operators to over 60% from the existing rate of about 55%. The changes are a component of the government’s €500 million strategy to increase the budget for social security and pay down the national debt.
In order to earn €500 million from French operators, Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s Budget 2025 suggested a tax rise across all gaming disciplines in October.
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The CEO of Betclic and President of AFJEL, Nicolas Béraud, opened this week’s annual meeting of the nation’s igaming trade association AFJEL by stating that increased taxes will make it even harder for operators to turn a profit and jeopardize several sports federations, leagues, and grassroots organizations.
He said that the government was “at worst ignoring and at best underestimating” their worries.
He went on to say that rules were impeding the industry’s ability to give players the best possible protection.
Additionally, he cautioned that French gamers may “play without even realizing it’s an illegal site” after searching Google for a casino online in only a few minutes. Additionally, he pointed out that the French illicit industry is now “the size of a mature market,” with an estimated four million players currently operating and €2 billion in income.
“The four million people who play on illicit websites ought to be placed in a legal environment, even though we genuinely don’t know if the prevalence of problem gambling has increased recently. Online operators are the best at keeping an eye on activity and identifying problem gamblers, Béraud continued.
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