The tension between the online and land-based gambling industries of France are rising. The AFJEL, or Association Française du Jeu en Ligne, has renewed calls for online casino, or iCasino, regulation. CdF, or Casinos de France, fiercely opposes this move. They warn it could pose major risks to jobs and local economies.
Following the annual general meeting in Paris, the dispute reignited. Industry leaders urged the government to tackle the rapid spread of illegal gambling.
Nicolas Béraud, President of AFJEL and chair of Banijay Gaming after its acquisition of Tipico from Betclic, said France urgently needs a regulatory framework. It should support legal operators while combating the illegal market. AFJEL’s latest study shows the number of French consumers using unlicensed gambling sites has risen 35% in two years, now reaching 5.4 million players. With esports betting also growing fast, most of that activity comes from online casino games.
Béraud agreed that the best way to curb illegal play is to give licensed operators enough flexibility to compete. He also criticized the new 15% levy on operators’ marketing and media spending, which took effect in July. He warned it could discourage much-needed sports sponsorships.
Béraud said that one cannot tell that sports bodies must find private money to compensate for cutes in public funding, and, on the other hand, threaten their new partners with taxation because of their support for sport.
He also said that moreover, why should only online gaming companies be taxed on their sponsorship spend? Why make their sector the exception among other sponsors, whether they be airlines, supermarkets, or other consumer brands? How can they continue to support sport if everything is being done to dissuade them? This is not a complaint, but a call for coherence.
