Casinos de France Warns of €500M Loss if Online Casinos Go Legal

Casinos de France has voiced strong opposition to proposals seeking to legalise online casino gambling in France, arguing that such a move would harm local economies and threaten the country’s existing gaming framework. The trade body, which represents land-based operators across France, claims legalisation could deprive public finances of over €500 million annually while undermining jobs and social programs.

Trade Body Rejects Illegal Market Revenue Estimates

The association’s latest statement comes amid mounting debate over how to tackle France’s growing unregulated online gaming scene. Current law only allows online betting on sports, horse racing, and poker. However, data from PwC for the Association française des jeux en ligne (AFJEL) indicates that illegal casino platforms and e-sports betting sites attracted 5.4 million players in 2025 — up 35% in just two years. AFJEL argues that regulating these activities could bring oversight and new tax revenue, estimating losses of up to €1.2 billion annually for public finances.

Casinos de France rejects that claim outright. In its communiqué, the group stated that legalising online casinos would instead “result in a net annual loss of €546 million for public finances, taking into account indirect effects related to health and employment.” Grégory Rabuel, president of Casinos de France and CEO of the Barrière Group, dismissed AFJEL’s estimate, saying, “It’s a hoax, and worse, it’s a loss for the state. Destruction of local jobs, reduction of municipal budgets, the withering away of cultural life in towns and villages. I’m not even mentioning the impact on the mental health of the French, which would amount to hundreds of millions in additional costs for social security.”

Land-Based Casinos Stress Economic Role

The association argues that its members already play a crucial role in France’s economic and social fabric. The network of 203 casinos and seven gaming clubs in Paris employs more than 31,000 people and contributes €1.6 billion in combined tax and social security revenue each year. Local municipalities benefit directly from about €600 million of that total. Casinos de France warned that legalising iGaming would reduce these revenues, drive closures, and weaken community ties.

In its LinkedIn post titled Casinos de France dénonce les contre-vérités du lobby des jeux en ligne, the organisation said some digital gaming advocates were spreading “falsehoods” about the supposed benefits of legalisation. “They talk about a ‘shortfall’ for public finances. In reality, it would be a shortfall to lose: 546 million euros in net losses per year, jobs destroyed, weakened municipalities, and a weakened social bond,” it said.

The statement also pointed to a recent joint operation by the Ministry of the Interior’s Central Service for Racing and Games and the National Gaming Authority (ANJ) against the illegal operator Crésus Casino, describing it as proof that the current framework already allows effective enforcement against unlicensed networks.

Warnings Based on European Examples

Casinos de France further highlighted examples from other European jurisdictions. It noted that land-based casinos had “completely disappeared” in Sweden following the legalisation of online gambling, referencing the closure of Casino Cosmopol’s final venue in April. The group also said that in Sweden, “almost 40% of wagers in the country were placed on illegal sites.”

Switzerland was cited as another example, where mirror websites frequently reappear despite regulatory blocks. “Everywhere, the promise of new revenue has turned into a net loss for local communities: decreased economic activity, job losses, a surge in risky behaviour and the persistence of a thriving black market,” the group warned, adding, “The mechanism is relentless. When digital takes hold, it captures existing customers without creating new players. The market does not expand, it shifts, and illegal activity latches on.”

Casinos Promote a ‘Humane’ Model

Casinos de France maintains that its physical venues represent a safer, more responsible gambling environment than the online sector. “In a physically supervised gaming environment, casinos are the only places where every player is screened before even entering, where minors are systematically excluded and where risky behaviours are identified and addressed by trained staff,” the association said. “Supervision is real, immediate and humane.”

The organisation emphasised that land-based casinos offer “a social, humane and profoundly responsible” model that prioritises prevention, support, and local community engagement. Its message concluded with a call to “preserve what works” and safeguard the French model of regulated, human-centred gambling.

Source:

Casinos de France LinkedIn, November 2025.