Poll results: France an unattractive market for operators

The French online gambling market remains unattractive to operators despite firms including Unibet, bwin.party and Betclic Everest recently renewing their licences until 2020, according to respondents to this week’s eGaming Review poll.

Recent Q1 results showed 17% year-on-year growth in regulated online sports betting revenues in the country, but an overwhelming majority of 94% of readers nonetheless agreed France is not an attractive proposition to operators, with just 6% arguing that it was.

Current French licensees are required to pay corporation tax of 33%, in addition to a 9.3% sports betting turnover tax and a 2% tax on online poker cash game pots.

Combined with restrictions on verticals and the continued strength of local giants like PMU, readers appear convinced that operators in search of new European markets will find little value in France.

This week France Pari chairman and CEO Hervé Schlosser told eGR that much needed changes would be unlikely to change before the country’s 2017 presidential election.

However, there may be some hope on the horizon, with rumours that the blanket ban on online casino may finally be removed and Christian Eckert of the ruling Socialist Party confirming the government would assess proposals to include online poker liquidity sharing between France and other EU countries as part of a new Digital Bill expected before Parliament next year.