Illegal gambling in France has overtaken the legal market

The French Online Gaming Association (AFJEL) has reported that the number of players on illegal online platforms in France has exceeded the legal market.

According to the latest study, in 2025, 5.4 million people will be playing with unlicensed operators (which is 35% more than two years ago).

Key points:

• Budget losses from lost tax revenue amount to €1.2 billion (+30% compared to 2023).
• The gross gaming revenue (GGR) of the illegal sector is €2 billion (+25% over the last two years).
• The social cost of treating gambling addiction is approximately €4 billion per year.

The market structure is currently as follows:

• Online casinos — 3.1 million players;
• Sports betting — 1.3 million;
• Esports betting — 1 million.

The situation is alarming. The French Online Gaming Association claims that more than 3 million people in France are addicted to gambling, particularly due to the widespread proliferation of illegal sites. 82% of users are not even aware that they are playing with unlicensed operators. It was noted that as many as 90% of players came to illegal sites through advertising.

AFJEL believes that such rapid growth of the shadow sector was caused by the active promotion of illegal operators on the Internet, as well as insufficient digital control by the state.