EGBA calls on France to regulate online casino
| EGBA urges the French authorities to regulate online casino games in response to an alarming new study which suggests the country has one of the EU’s largest online gambling black markets. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) expresses its concern about the findings of a new study into the size of France’s black market for online gambling. The study, commission by the national gambling authority l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux, estimates France’s black market for online gambling to be worth up to €1.5 billion annually in gross gaming revenue (GGR), equivalent to nearly half France’s regulated online gambling revenue. This suggests that France has one of the EU’s largest online gambling black markets and, to address the problem, EGBA calls on the French authorities to end the country’s ban on online casino games. Although France is one of Europe’s significant gambling markets, it is one of just two EU countries which has a ban on online casino games, creating a black market with all its inherent risks. The new study, conducted by PwC, found that websites offering online casino games are major contributors to the country’s online black market and, along with slots, account for up to 50% of France’s black market website traffic. While there is demand in France for these games, these websites operate outside of French laws and many of them threaten the safety of French players, who have no legal recourse nor minimum protections, such as self-exclusion, when they use them. To safeguard these players and foster a safe gambling environment for all, EGBA urges the French authorities to reassess the country’s existing ban on online casino games, and, consistent with the already established French regulation of online sports betting, take the necessary steps to ensure there is a safe and regulated environment also for the country’s online casino players. The study found that around 3 million French players use black market websites at least once a month. Source: Home Page – EGBA |
