La Francaise des Jeux (FDJ), the well-known French sports betting, lottery and iGaming operator, has announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2024 and the numbers show a significant increase in revenue.

The company’s revenue in the first quarter amounted to 710 million euros, representing an increase of 7.2 percent compared to the same quarter of 2023. Moreover, the company’s gaming revenue went up by 3.1 percent compared to the first quarter of 2023 to a total of 645 million euros.

The French operator was particularly pleased with the performance of its online games segment, which managed to bring in 100 million euros, a figure which represents almost 15 percent of the group’s total revenue.

The company’s target for revenue growth in 2024 is 8 percent, though, so it will have to do better in the following three quarters in order to meet it. However, with the European Football Championships and the Olympic Games coming up this summer, the company’s revenue from sports betting will surely receive a big boost in the second and third quarters.

The operator’s revenue from its lottery operations also registered an increase of 1.4 percent year-on-year during the first quarter, amounting to 504 million euros. Sports betting and competitive online gaming brought in 141 million euros in revenue, recording an increase of 9.5 percent over the first quarter of 2023.

A Good Start

Stéphane Pallez, chairwoman and chief executive of the FDJ Group, described the company’s results in the first quarter as “a good start” for the year, especially because all the group‘s activities registered growth, from the network of 29,000 retailers to the online gaming business.

Moreover, the revenue from sports betting and competitive online gaming registered an increase despite being compared to a quarter which had seen great numbers as an effect of the impact the World Cup in Qatar had on the entire sporting world.

In fact, revenue from the online sports betting division of FDJ, ParionsSport En Ligne, registered an increase of over 25 percent during the first quarter of 2024, well beyond the other segments of the company’s business.

In other news, the management of FDJ confirmed that the company was still keen on acquiring the Kindred Group, a major international conglomerate of sports betting websites and online casinos. The French company submitted an offer worth 2.45 billion euros in January, attempting to form the second largest operator in the European gaming scene.

Source: “FDJ revenue increases 7.2% to €710m in Q1″. iGaming Business. April 18s, 2024.

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L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), a gambling regulator from France, works hard to prevent illegal gambling in the country. The regulator recently warned all players about the fraud that is occurring in the industry: various illegal gambling operators use the brands of popular licensed operators to advertise their services on social media platforms, especially Facebook.

Risks for players

That way, even those looking to gamble legally can be tricked into placing illegal bets. Now, the regulator has joined forces with Meta to monitor and resolve the issue.

So far, ANJ has found about 400 illegal websites, which resulted in 137 user accounts on Facebook being blocked. The main operators that were used for illegal operations were Barrière and JOA groups. The profiles of these operators have been created and their brand image was used to attract potential customers to the illegal website. They also created mobile apps that players were led to from Facebook images.

Online casinos aren’t legalized in France. However, some operators are allowed to offer online sports betting and horse racing betting services to French players. Also, land-based casinos that have appropriate licenses are also legal.

According to ANJ, players are at huge risk due to betting on illegal sites. They risk not being paid when they win, as well as various payment frauds and the risk of stealing personal data.

The regulator commented: “If in doubt about the legality of the gambling site on which you are about to bet, consult the list of sites approved by the ANJ. You can also consult the blacklist of sites that have been administratively blocked by the ANJ. We invite anyone who notices the presence of fake advertisements to report them.”

Worth of illegal betting market

In December 2023, ANJ said that the illegal betting market in France was worth up to €1.50 billion (£1.28bn/$1.62bn), which is more than 10% higher than the wagered amount in the country on a yearly basis.

According to research conducted by ANJ, 510 illegal websites are active. About 60% of all traffic comes from 21 of them.

PwC published a study with concerning data: the gross gaming revenue illegal casinos earned is somewhere between €748m and €1.5bn, which is between 5% and 10% of total gambling in France. The record was set in 2022 when it was €12.9 billion.

Source:

“French regulator issues warning over illegal online casinos on Facebook”, igamingbusiness.com, January 31, 2023.

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Rivers Casino Des Plaines, located in Illinois, is confronting a proposed class-action lawsuit stemming from a cyberattack in August that exposed the personal information of thousands of individuals. 

Rivers Casino Lawsuit Highlights Security Gaps and Potential Identity Theft Dangers

Lead plaintiff Michael Glebiv, among over 100 individuals already included in the class action, claims that he would not have entrusted his personal information to Rivers Casino had he been aware of the inadequate data security measures in place.

The cyberattack, occurring around August 12 but only discovered in early November, targeted Rivers Casino Des Plaines’ IT network. The compromised information includes employee and patron names, along with sensitive data such as addresses, dates of birth, Social Security and passport numbers. 

While the casino asserts that the cyberattack did not disrupt its operations, a cybersecurity firm investigating the breach emphasizes the potential risks of identity theft due to the stolen personal information.

The class-action lawsuit comprises five counts, encompassing negligence, negligence per se, breach of implied contract, unjust enrichment, and violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act. 

The lawsuit contends that the casino was aware of the value of the unprotected personally identifiable information it held, making it a prime target for cybercriminals seeking unauthorized access to monetize the stolen data.

Rivers Casino Assists Plaintiffs and Offers Identity Protection

Rush Street Gaming, the Chicago-based parent company of Rivers Casino, has not yet issued a legal response to the allegations. However, the company maintains that it employs robust security protocols and promptly took steps to contain and secure its systems upon detecting the cyberattack. 

Despite the casino’s assurances that there is no indication of financial fraud or identity theft linked to the incident, complimentary identity monitoring and protection services are being offered to potentially impacted individuals.

As the lawsuit unfolds, Rivers Casino Des Plaines is actively assisting the affected plaintiffs in the class action, providing services such as placing Fraud Alerts and Security Freezes on credit files, as well as offering dedicated and confidential support through a toll-free response line.

This legal action follows Rivers Casino’s belated revelation of the data breach in November, nearly three months after the cyberattack occurred. Unlike similar incidents affecting MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, Rivers Casino did not receive an immediate ransom demand. 

Customers of Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International have also filed five class-action lawsuits in Nevada District Court, alleging that the casino giants failed to protect important customer data during the cyberattacks. 

The plaintiffs claim that the companies were aware of the significance of consumer data but did not adhere to Federal Trade Commission guidelines, potentially exposing affected customers to a heightened risk of identity theft. The lawsuits seek compensation for the perceived lack of diligence.

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