France’s gambling industry recorded its highest gross gaming revenue in 2023, with monopoly operators FDJ and PMU representing 62.7 per cent of the total figure.
The data was revealed by French gambling regulator La Française des Jeux and outlines the make-up of the French market in 2023.
The ANJ said of the total €13.4bn in GGR, FDJ brought in €6.6bn, a new record translating to growth of 1.8 per cent year-on-year.
In fact, the regulator added that for the first time in 2019, the GGR of all market segments grew across the year.
The ANJ said PMU’s horse racing betting activity progressed in 2023 but that there was a “slowdown in its growth,” with stakes and GRP worth €6.8bn and €1.7bn respectively, up one per cent on 2022.
Nevertheless, PMU’s activity has returned to its pre-pandemic level, the ANJ said.
The casino segment also posted growth of 8.1 per cent in 2023, translating to record GGR of €2.7bn.
ANJ president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin said: “This good health of the market demonstrates that demanding regulation is not an obstacle to development. This growth makes all the more relevant the objective of reducing the number of excessive gamblers that the ANJ has placed at the centre of its action for the years to come.
“In a 2024 context marked by the holding of two major sporting events (Euro 2024 and the Paris Olympic Games), the ANJ reminded operators that, due to the risk of intensification of gaming practices, they will have to exercise increased vigilance with regard to the prevention of gambling among minors and gambling behavior, particularly among vulnerable people (notably 18-24 year olds).”
The total online GGR reached €2.3bn in 2023, up 7.2 per cent compared with 2022.
The ANJ said sports betting activity accounted for 63.3 per cent of online GRP, followed by poker (21.6 per cent) and horserace betting (15.1 per cent.)
