Online sports betting was the key driver of a record year for the French online gaming industry in 2024.
Total gross gaming revenue (GGR) rose 12 per cent year-on-year to a new high of €2.6bn, with sports betting’s €1.8bn in GGR up 19 per cent.
Online horse racing betting GGR rose by one per cent while online poker GGR declined by two per cent after three years of growth between 2021 and 2023.
Land-based casino GGR rose 1.2 per cent to €2.7bn, with visitor numbers “holding steady” at 31 million, according to the French gambling regulator, L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ).
Combined, land-based and online gaming generated GGR of €14bn, up 4.7 per cent year-on-year.
The ANJ said FDJ United remains the largest operator in France, surpassing €7bn in GGR for the first time in 2024 – up six per cent from 2023. This was largely driven by lottery sales, which accounted for €5.8bn of GGR – a rise of five per cent.
Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) recorded €6.6bn in stakes and €1.7bn in GGR, a two per cent drop from 2023.
Although, PMU’s net result remained “stable” at €837m, up from €835m in 2023.
“Although its market share slipped to 12 per cent (overtaken for the first time by online sports betting), PMU’s player base grew by 6 per cent, reaching 3.5 million – returning to pre-pandemic 2019 levels,” the ANJ said.
Overall active player accounts (APAs) reached 5.7 million in 2024, up 11 per cent versus 2023.
The number of unique players climbed eight per cent to 3.9 million.
There was growth in active player accounts across sports betting, up 13 per cent, poker, up 11 per cent, and horse racing, up four per cent.
“The sports betting audience has also become younger (30 per cent are aged 18–24) and more gender-diverse,” the ANJ added.
Football was the most popular sport for betting with €5.6bn in bets, followed by tennis (€2.27bn), basketball (€914m) and rugby (€186m). The four sports accounted for 87.5 per cent of total online betting wagers in 2024.
Elsewhere, there were “sharp gains” in bets on volleyball, ice hockey, badminton, handball and cycling – up 31 per cent.
“Beyond the favourable sporting events, market momentum is being driven by aggressive commercial strategies from operators, including increased advertising budgets, sustained financial incentives and cross-selling initiatives across gambling products,” the ANJ said.
“With no signs of a slowdown, 2025 poses potential risks due to intensified gambling behaviour driven by sustained high advertising pressure (promo budgets are set to rise by 11 per cent despite no major sporting events) and continued cross-selling to newly acquired players.
“Competitive tensions among leading operators are expected to further increase player targeting.
“Upcoming changes in gambling taxation, part of the French Social Security Financing Law (PLFSS), may affect the online market in the second half of 2025. A new 15 per cent tax on advertising expenditures by sports betting operators could impact marketing budgets.”
