French market revenues pass €1bn in 2018 as betting and poker rise
Market buoyed by World Cup betting and shared poker liquidity agreement
The French gambling market hit a record €1.2bn during 2018, according to latest figures released by the French regulator, ARJEL.
Total market revenues grew by 25% year-on-year, the largest increase since the regulated market began operation in 2013 and were up €244m on 2017’s figures.
Sports betting revenues rose 46% during 2018 to €691m, buoyed in part by the strong interest in the FIFA World Cup, with the total amount being bet jumping 56% during 2018 to €3.9bn.
French poker revenues also grew during 2018, rising 5% to €258m, marking the second year in a row of revenue growth. The total amount wagered during cash games rose by 15% in 2018 to €4.1bn.
2018 marked the first year of full operations for the online poker shared liquidity agreement between France, Portugal and Spain.
Horse racing revenues grew by 5% for the second year running, with revenues hitting €256m during 2018.
The number of illegal gambling sites being identified by French regulators hit a record 205 sites during 2018, a rise of 50% on the total sites identified during 2017.
Almost half of these sites (92) were blocked following a judicial court order, with the remainder being rendered inaccessible to French citizens.