🇫🇷For operators · Tax, marketing & compliance
Operating in France: betting and poker only, 59.3% tax
France licenses online sports betting, horse-race betting and poker through the ANJ and prohibits every online casino game, although offshore sites sell them to French players anyway. Operators pay no licence fee but face levies of up to 59.3% of GGR on sports betting, and recreational player winnings are generally tax-free.
Sports betting levies59.3% of GGRUpfrontEUR 0 feesLicence term5 yrsDecision time4 monthsAnnual GGR14.1B EURActive licensees16 operators22 sites on the ANJ list (captured 6 October 2026)
Product by product
Every applicant needs a separate ANJ agrément for each of sports betting, horse-race betting and poker, with a registered office in the EU or a qualifying EEA state; online casino games cannot be licensed.| Product | Status | Licensed by | Tax | Key restriction | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online sports betting | Licensable | ANJ agrément (five years); retail betting is an FDJ monopoly | 59.3% of gross gaming revenue (33.7% + 15% + 10.6%) | Pari mutuel or fixed-odds bets only, on the competitions and bet types the ANJ lists; average payout capped at 85% a year per agrément. 16 operators and 22 sites on the ANJ list. | Allowed for licensed operators with a warning message; the ANJ approves each operator's yearly promotional strategy; 15% contribution on advertising and promotion costs |
| Online horse-race betting | Licensable | ANJ agrément (five years); retail betting is a PMU monopoly | 27.1% of gross gaming revenue (20.2% + 6.9%), plus the racing societies' redevance (rate set by decree between 22% and 31%) | Pari mutuel form only; bets only on accounts through the licensed site; same 85% average payout cap. | Allowed for licensed operators with a warning message; outside the 15% advertising contribution |
| Online poker | Licensable | ANJ agrément for circle games (five years) | 10% of gross gaming revenue plus 1.8% of stakes (capped at EUR 0.90 a hand outside tournaments) | Circle games between players on licensed sites only; shared liquidity with a site licensed in another EU or EEA state needs ANJ authorisation under a convention with that regulator; a player-set time limit is mandatory. | Allowed for licensed operators with a warning message; 15% contribution on advertising and promotion costs |
| Online casino, slots and live casino | Banned | None: not licensable | None: no licence exists | Offering online casino games is a crime: up to three years' imprisonment and EUR 90,000 (Law 2010-476 art. 56 I). Offshore sites sell them to French players anyway, half of those whose operator could be identified registered in Curaçao (ANJ-commissioned study, 2023: 510 unauthorised sites drew traffic from France, about 3 million people used unlicensed offers at least monthly, 35% of them through a VPN). Mirror domains are common: 910 of the 1,337 URLs blocked in 2024 were mirror sites. The ANJ says a foreign licence has no recognised legal value in France; it blocks by its own decision (circumvention services too from 5 August 2026) and can order payment blocking. | Banned: advertising an unlicensed site is an offence (EUR 100,000, up to four times the advertising spend) |
| Lottery and retail betting | State monopoly | FDJ exclusive rights (25 years); PMU for retail horse betting | Outside the online levies above | Closed to other operators. Only draw games and instant games are authorised; each game needs ANJ authorisation and its rules ANJ homologation. | Allowed for the exclusive-rights operators under the same warning-message rules |
| Esports betting | Banned | None available | None: no licence exists | A video-game competition cannot include taking bets (CSI L321-8); sites offering them are illegal gambling sites. No route round the ban was found beyond offshore sites, which the ANJ blocks like other illegal gambling sites. | Banned: advertising an unlicensed site is an offence (Law art. 57) |
| Prediction markets | Banned | None | None: not licensable | The ANJ treats prediction-market platforms as illegal gambling sites. Sold from abroad anyway: Polymarket geo-blocked France in November 2024, which the ANJ says gave rise in practice to circumvention, and the ANJ president ordered French ISPs to block it on 16 July 2026. | — |
Decided5 Aug 2026Law 2026-725 in force
Can the ANJ now block the services that help players get round its blocks?
Yes. Law 2026-725 of 3 August 2026, in force on 5 August 2026, extends the ANJ's blocking order beyond search engines and directories to any provider of a service that lets users get round access restrictions. The ANJ president, no longer the budget minister, now also orders payment providers to block payments to illegal sites. From 1 January 2027 operators' self-limitation devices must also cover losses, and players aged 18 to 25 may raise their limits only after a delay of at least two weeks.
Law 2026-725 of 3 August 2026 ↗ANJ: fighting the illegal offer ↗
Regulator and player protection in France
Self-exclusion scheme
National voluntary exclusion register
How players exclude themselves; what it covers is in the player guide
Mandatory RG controls
deposit limits
Deposit limits or reality checks the law requires operators to offer
Which casinos & betting sites are licensed in France?
See the full official list of licensed operators and their authorised domains.
Heads-up for operators
6 items · last change 28 Oct 2026
Not law yet. (1) Two private members' bills in the Assemblée nationale, both referred to the commission des lois with no later step shown: PPL no. 2899 (filed 9 June 2026) would allow sports-betting advertising only on listed media, ban all promotion by influencers, the mention of winnings, free bets and welcome bonuses, the use of public figures or professional sportspeople, and an operator's name on a sports venue in France or a competition organised in France; PPL no. 2954 (filed 23 June 2026) would ban sports-betting advertising and let a breach cost the operator its agrément. (2) Law 2026-725 of 3 August 2026 (in force 5 August 2026) starts a rule on 1 January 2027: self-limitation tools must cover losses, not only deposits and stakes, for every online player; players aged 18 to 25 may raise their limits only after a period of at least two weeks; and the ANJ may cap their losses for up to one year. (3) JONUM, the experiment for games with monetisable digital objects, runs for three years from the law of 21 May 2024 (to 21 May 2027 by arithmetic); the Government owes Parliament an evaluation report. (4) The finance bills for 2027 (nos. 3210 and 3211, filed 1 October 2026) contain no article amending the gambling levies as tabled; their amendments were not searched. The Assemblée nationale rejected the social-security finance bill at first reading on 23 October 2026. (5) Land-based casinos: Senate bills nos. 305, 725 and 51 (filed 14 October 2026) are at first reading. No bill to legalise online casino games was found (read 28 October 2026).
Décision n° 2026-175 — modified Loto authorization
La Française des Jeux may offer the modified Loto in physical distribution and online from 4 October 2027. The decision authorizes the changes to the stake, minimum prize and roll-down mechanic.
Source: 1Not yet in our report
The specific rules for the lottery games "Euromillions", "My Million", and "2nd Tirage Euromillions", accessible both in physical distribution networks and online, have been formally approved.
La Française des Jeux must apply the ANJ-homologated rules from the stated start dates.
Source: 2Checked 13 Oct 2026
Show all 6Show fewer
Loss Limits for Every Online Player
Self-limitation tools must cover losses; 18 to 25 year olds may raise limits only after at least two weeks; the ANJ may cap their losses for up to one year.
Source: 3
JONUM Experiment Applies
Decree 2026-60 applies the experimental framework for games with monetisable digital objects (SREN law 2024-449, arts 40-41). The experiment runs three years from the law of 21 May 2024.
Source: 4
Sports-Betting Advertising Bills
PPL no. 2899 (9 June 2026) would regulate and PPL no. 2954 (23 June 2026) would ban sports-betting advertising; both sit in the commission des lois with no later step shown.
Source: 5
Not yet in force: drafts, laws adopted without a start date, and sections of the law still to be commenced. An item moves to the timeline below on the day it takes effect.
Getting licensed: apply to the ANJ
The licence, its cost and the steps are in the licence guide
7 licence types: Online Sports Betting Agrément; Online Horse-Race Betting Agrément; Online Poker (Circle Games) Agrément; and others. Year-1 budget State fees €0; a Year-1 total cannot be given. Fees, requirements, documents, certification and the step-by-step route are set out there.Read the licence guide
Gambling tax: 59.3%
Detail
Levies on the same online activity, re-read on Légifrance on 8 October 2026.
- Sports betting
- 33.7% of GGR (CGI art. 302 bis ZK, since 1 March 2025) + 15% (CSS art. L137-21, since 1 July 2025) + 10.6% (CGI art. 1609 tricies, since 1 January 2024) = 59.3% of GGR; the physical-network rates are 27.9%, 7.6% and 6.6%.
- Horse-race betting
- 20.2% (CGI art. 302 bis ZK, since 1 March 2025) + 6.9% (CSS art. L137-20) = 27.1% of GGR, plus the racing societies' redevance (CGI art. 1609 tertricies) on online bets on French races, at a rate set by decree between 22% and 31% (25.8% in the ANJ table of 11 December 2025; the decree was not located), so no combined horse-betting total is printed here.
- Poker
- 10% of GGR (CSS art. L137-22, since 1 July 2025) plus 1.8% of stakes (CGI art. 302 bis ZK, since 1 March 2025, capped at EUR 0.90 a hand outside tournaments); the bases differ, so the rates are not added.
- Advertising
- 15% of advertising and promotion costs (CSS art. L137-27, online horse betting excluded).
- Bonuses are mostly not deductible.
- Levies are declared on the VAT return annex.
- Corporate income tax 25% (BOFiP text of 10 June 2020).
- A non-established operator needs a French tax representative.
- The 2027 finance bills as tabled do not amend these levies.
France's gambling tax next to neighbours and nearby markets
Each bar is the headline operator tax as that country's own page states it, for France, its neighbours and the nearest other market (marked “nearby”) that tax gross gaming revenue or sports-betting stakes. Hover or tap a bar to see what it is made of; a tax on stakes is drawn at its weight against revenue.
Which foreign licences France accepts
France recognises none of these 10 foreign licences.
BlockedNot recognised
Malta (MGA)
A Maltese company may apply for an ANJ agrément because Malta is in the EU, but an MGA licence alone does not allow it to offer gambling to players in France. The ANJ says a foreign online-casino licence has no recognised legal value in France.
United Kingdom (UKGC)
The UK is outside the EU and EEA, so a UK-seated company cannot apply for an ANJ agrément directly.
Gibraltar (GRA) · Isle of Man (GSC) · Alderney (AGCC) · Kahnawake (KGC) · Anjouan (AGB) · Costa Rica · Antigua & Barbuda (FSRC)
A company seated outside the EU and EEA cannot apply for an ANJ agrément.
Curaçao
In an ANJ-commissioned study (2023), half of the unauthorised casino sites whose operator could be identified were registered in Curaçao. The ANJ blocks such sites, can order payment blocking, and has said it will refer operators registered in Curaçao or Cyprus to prosecutors; no conviction was found in the sources read.
Bonus rules: welcome bonuses allowed
Inducement ads: Allowed
Bonuses and promotions on licensed sports betting, horse betting and poker are allowed but supervised by the ANJ, which approves each operator's yearly promotional strategy and may limit offers that carry a financial gratification. Offers must be reasonable in volume, frequency and amount, and an offer called 'free' must be genuinely free. Online casino games are prohibited, so no casino bonus or free spin can be offered in the licensed market. No rule on wagering requirements was found.
What the player can claim
- Welcome bonus
- Allowed
- Loyalty schemes
- Restricted
- Online casino games (e.g., slots, roulette) are prohibited in the licensed market, so no bonuses can be offered on these products.
The ANJ has issued a non-binding recommendation that welcome offers should not exceed a total value of €100. The ANJ's framework also asks operators not to offer financial rewards to players identified as having excessive or pathological gambling patterns.
What the operator can advertise
- Messages ads may not give
- Incites excessive play, or suggests gambling solves personal, professional, social or psychological difficulties or is a way of earning a living.
- Contains unfounded statements about the chances of winning or the winnings a player can hope for.
- Alleges, in any way, an absence of risk in a financial gratification offer.
- Calls an offer 'free' or similar when the consumer must pay anything beyond unavoidable costs.
- Shows minors, personalities from the world of minors, or presents gambling as a natural leisure activity for minors.
- Mandatory disclaimer
Warning message fixed by the arrêté of 4 March 2026 (online games from 6 September 2026); the homepage and generic messages give the helpline number 09-74-75-13-13 (appel non surtaxé); the specific messages carry a 'cliquez ici' link to the advice instead. Home-page wording: 'Les jeux d'argent et de hasard peuvent être dangereux : pertes d'argent, conflits familiaux, addiction… Nos conseils sur joueurs-info-service.fr (09-74-75-13-13 - appel non surtaxé)'.
- Placement rule
- Television and cinema: a banner of at least 7% of screen height, or a screen immediately after the advertisement. Radio: broadcast immediately after. Print: at least 7% of the advertising surface. Online: with the advertisement, linking to the public player-help service. Retail tickets and casino posters (land-based): a yellow cartouche of at least 8% of the support's height. The ANJ's 15% cartouche was a recommendation, not a rule.
- Penalties
The sanctions committee can fine a licensed operator up to 5% of turnover (10% for a repeat breach). A non-compliant commercial communication is also an offence under CSI L324-8-1: EUR 100,000, up to four times the advertising spend.
The committee can issue a warning, reduce the licence term by up to one year, suspend it for up to three months or withdraw it. The ANJ can also order the withdrawal of a communication that incites minors or excluded players or is an excessive incitement to play, and can limit offers carrying a financial gratification by reasoned decision.
The ANJ recommends (not binding) at most three gambling advertisements per break on TV and radio, at most three commercial communications a day per medium online, welcome offers worth no more than EUR 100 in total and at most five referral offers a year. It also recommends using only influencers and ambassadors without an audience of 16% or more among 13 to 17 year olds who hold the ARPP certificate. Influencer content is allowed only on platforms that can exclude under-18s, with an '18+' mention and a contract clause on the advertising rules (Law 2023-451).
Advertising: limited
Gambling advertising in France is allowed for operators with an ANJ agrément or an exclusive right, under conditions: every communication carries the warning message and the helpline number, minors must not be targeted, and the ANJ approves each operator's yearly promotional strategy and can order a communication withdrawn. Advertising an unlicensed site is an offence, so online casino cannot be lawfully advertised in any channel. The whistle-to-whistle ban and the two 2026 bills on sports-betting advertising are proposals, not law.
| Channel | Status | Vertical & Platform Split (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Ads | Licensed operators only | Advertisers must be licensed by the ANJ and certified by Google to promote sports betting, poker, or horse racing; online casino advertising is banned. As of March 2026, all gambling advertisers must demonstrate policy compliance and own their domain to be eligible for certification.1314 |
| App Store Publishing | Restricted | ANJ-licensed sports betting, horse racing, and poker apps are permitted on both stores. Online casino apps are BLOCKED on BOTH Apple and Google Play within France: Google Play's country-specific allowance list excludes France for online casino under the ban in the Code de la sécurité intérieure (L320-1, L320-6), and Apple's guidelines defer to local law (which prohibits them). Treat online casino apps as fully unavailable to French consumers regardless of platform.151617 |
| Google/Apple App Store Ads | Restricted | Advertising for published, ANJ-licensed sports betting, poker, and horse racing apps is permitted via platforms like Google Universal App Campaigns and Apple Search Ads. All ad content must comply with platform policies, which prohibit casino promotions and require targeting users 18 and over.1819 |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Licensed operators only | Advertisers need prior written permission from Meta, including proof of an ANJ licence, to promote legal online gambling such as sports betting; all campaigns must target users 18+. Under Law 2023-451, influencer gambling content is allowed only on platforms that can technically exclude under-18s with that exclusion switched on, with an '18+' mention. Online casino pages that spoof French casino brands are removed: about 400 URLs were reported to Meta in January 2024, leading to 137 account closures.112021 |
| TV & Radio | Restricted | Permitted for licensed operators. ARCOM Deliberation 2022-73 bans gambling advertising on services and programmes presented as addressed to minors and, on other TV and radio services, in the thirty minutes before and after them. The warning message is a banner of at least 7% of screen height or a screen after the advertisement on TV, and is broadcast after the advertisement on radio. The TV and radio charters of 7 November 2022 (voluntary) limit advertisements to three per break. The ANJ has asked for a whistle-to-whistle ban and PPL no. 2899 would bar advertising for a quarter of an hour either side of a sports event; neither is law.61022 |
| Sponsorships | Allowed | Sponsorship by licensed operators is permitted and treated as a commercial communication subject to the same rules, including the warning message. Operators may not finance or sponsor events specifically aimed at minors. The ANJ's review of 2026 strategies recorded a 14% rise in sports sponsorship and again asked for tighter legal control of sponsorship for major sports events; that is a proposal, not law. No statutory ban on gambling logos on shirts or in stadiums was found. Sponsorship by an online casino brand cannot be lawful, because the product is prohibited.1223 |
| Digital OOH | Restricted | Outdoor advertising is permitted for licensed operators. The prefect of the département (in Paris the police prefect) may fix a perimeter around schools and youth establishments within which gambling advertising is banned (CSI L320-14). On printed media the warning message must cover at least 7% of the advertising surface. The outdoor charter of 7 November 2022 is voluntary.623 |
Channel rules for France reflect each platform's published policy and the sources numbered in each row (listed under Methodology & sources). Verify with the local regulator and your ad-platform account manager before launching.
How France enforces against unlicensed operators
Enforcement is administrative and criminal. Since March 2022 the ANJ president, not a court, orders internet providers, search engines and directories to block unlicensed sites after a formal notice with five days for observations; since 5 August 2026 the order also reaches circumvention services. The ANJ's figures: 1,337 URLs blocked in 2024 (232 orders, 910 of them mirror sites) and 1,290 in 2025. The president can also ban payments to and from an illegal operator's accounts for six renewable months. The sanctions committee fines licensed operators (up to 5% of turnover; decided amounts from EUR 1,500 to EUR 800,000), and the first anti-money-laundering sanction by the Commission nationale des sanctions was announced on 21 September 2026. Offering unlicensed online gambling carries up to three years and EUR 90,000; no conviction was found in the sources read.
- Blocking by the ANJ itself: the ANJ president notifies providers once the notice delays expire (Law 2010-476 art. 61, version in force from 5 August 2026); before March 2022 the Paris court ordered it. The ANJ's own CSV lists 4,842 dated URL rows from 13 June 2022 to 16 July 2026.
- Payment blocking: the ANJ president may ban movements of funds to or from an illegal operator's accounts for six renewable months, notified to payment providers established in France (Monetary and Financial Code L563-2).
- Administrative sanctions: warning, reduction of the licence term by up to one year, suspension for up to three months or withdrawal; fines up to 5% of turnover (10% for a repeat breach). Withdrawal was used once in the decisions found (2013); the 2022 to 2026 decisions read imposed warnings and fines only.
- Criminal and advertising offences: three years and EUR 90,000 for offering unlicensed gambling (seven years and EUR 200,000 in an organised gang); EUR 100,000, up to four times the advertising spend, for advertising an unlicensed site.
Enforcement cases in France: 6 recent
Material regulator actions, court rulings, and high-profile fines from 2016–2026 against operators serving France. Each entry includes the technical failure and a one-line read-across for other operators in the market.
- July 2026
Licensed online operator (named 'X' in the published decision)
RGFine EUR 500,000The operator failed to identify and support excessive players (decision 2026/031 of 10 July 2026).
Read-across: The ANJ enforces the duty to detect and accompany excessive players, which operators must also report each year in an action plan.
- July 2026
Operator, a director and the compliance officer (Commission nationale des sanctions)
AMLFirst anti-money-laundering sanctionFollowing an ANJ referral, the Commission nationale des sanctions imposed financial penalties and a two-month suspended ban on running online gambling on the operator, one of its directors and its compliance officer (hearing of 8 July 2026; amounts not read).
Read-across: AML sanctions can reach individuals: a director and the compliance officer were personally sanctioned.
- May 2026
BCFR3 (now Vibrez!)
LicensingSports-betting agrément abrogatedThe ANJ college abrogated the agrément on 19 May 2026 because the company could no longer meet its anti-money-laundering duties (decision 2026-120).
Read-across: An agrément can be withdrawn by the college, not only by the sanctions committee, when conditions are no longer met.
- December 2025
Licensed online operators (named 'X' in the published decisions)
LicensingTwo warnings, fines of EUR 1,500 and EUR 15,000Four decisions of 16 December 2025 on exceeding the 85% maximum payout proportion in 2023. Nine earlier decisions (hearing of 1 October 2024; one warning and eight fines from EUR 5,000 to EUR 150,000) covered 2022.
Read-across: The payout cap is checked per agrément per calendar year and sanctioned every year.
- July 2025
Licensed online operator (named 'X' in the published decision)
OtherFine EUR 75,000The operator failed its archiving and data-availability duties to the ANJ (decision 2024/034 of 7 July 2025).
Read-across: Data archived in the vault and made available to the ANJ is supervised and sanctioned.
- March 2025
Licensed online operator (named 'X' in the published decision)
RGFine EUR 800,000A malfunction in the operator's handling of the self-exclusion register lasted about 22 months (decision 2024/033 of 3 March 2025).
Read-across: Operators are liable for technical failures in the exclusion checks, which must run at account opening and at every connection.
Market size: 14.1B EUR (2025)
Gross gaming revenue in France is approximately 14.1 billion EUR [source] annually, placing it among the top 15 globally. The most popular form of gambling is Lottery. Online gambling represents 18.6% of total GGR. A culturally distinctive product in this market is PMU horse racing pool betting.
Online casino is banned, and offshore sites sell it to French players anyway
Online casino games (slots, roulette, blackjack, live casino) are prohibited, and offering them is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment and EUR 90,000. The market sells them anyway. An ANJ-commissioned study (2023) found 510 unauthorised sites drawing traffic from France; about 3 million people used unlicensed offers at least monthly, 35% of them through a VPN; and half of the sites whose operator could be identified were registered in Curaçao. Operators use mirror domains (910 of the 1,337 URLs blocked in 2024 were mirror sites) and fake social-network accounts using French casinos' names (about 400 URLs reported to Meta in January 2024, leading to 137 account closures). The ANJ says a foreign online-casino licence has no recognised legal value in France. Its answer is blocking, ordered by the ANJ president since March 2022 and reaching circumvention services from 5 August 2026, payment blocking (up to six renewable months), and the '100% gagnant ?' information campaign of October 2024. No conviction was found in the sources read.
GGR figure31
Licensed operators: 16 operators and 22 sites on the ANJ list (captured 6 October 2026)
As of 4 Nov 2026, 16 operators and 22 sites on the ANJ list (captured 6 October 2026) are on the register in France. Size your entry against this base before committing capital. Check them yourself on the official Autorité Nationale des Jeux register, which lists each licensee and its authorised domains.
Notable licensed operators
PMU
Betclic
Winamax
Unibet
Traps operators hit in France
Specific operational risks that have caught new entrants in this market. Each item is country-specific. Generic gambling-ops issues (KYC, RG tools) are not included unless they have a local twist.
Stacked levies: up to 59.3% of GGR on sports betting
Online sports betting pays 33.7% + 15% + 10.6% = 59.3% of GGR (from 1 March, 1 July 2025 and 1 January 2024 respectively). Horse betting pays 27.1% of GGR plus the racing societies' redevance (25.8% in the ANJ table, within a legal band of 22% to 31%); poker pays 10% of GGR plus 1.8% of stakes. A 15% contribution on advertising and promotion costs applies on top (online horse betting excluded). There is no licence fee, so the levies are the cost.
No online casino route, and the offshore offer is enforced against
Online casino games cannot be licensed. Offering them is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment and EUR 90,000, and the ANJ blocks sites, circumvention services and payments. A foreign licence has no recognised legal value, and advertising an unlicensed site is a separate offence (EUR 100,000, up to four times the advertising spend).
Advertising: approved strategy, fixed warnings, influencer rules
The ANJ approves each operator's yearly promotional strategy (for 2026 it told operators not to exceed the budget they announced) and can order the withdrawal of a communication. Every advertisement carries the warning message and the helpline number; the arrêté of 4 March 2026 fixes the wording for online games from 6 September 2026. Influencer promotion needs a contract clause and platforms that can exclude under-18s. Two bills would ban or tighten sports-betting advertising.
Loss limits for every online player from 1 January 2027
Law 2026-725 requires self-limitation tools to cover losses, not only deposits and stakes, for every online player from 1 January 2027; players aged 18 to 25 may raise their limits only after a period of at least two weeks, and the ANJ may cap their losses for up to a year. Operators also face sanctions for failing to identify and support excessive players (EUR 500,000 in July 2026).
Seat, .fr site and French data vault
Only companies seated in the EU or a qualifying EEA state can apply; a non-established operator needs a French tax representative, a person domiciled in France responsible for compliance, a dedicated .fr site and a data archive on a medium located in metropolitan France. Game software needs ANJ homologation and a yearly independent certification.
Timeline: rules in force
- 23 Oct 2026
Decision n° 2026-PR-133 — PMU+ Account General Terms
PMU must publish the homologated terms online and make them available to players at each horse-betting registration point. The decision was published on 23 October 2026.
Source: 41Checked 28 Oct 2026
- 21 Oct 2026
The Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) has adopted a guide explaining the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) obligations for companies offering monetizable digital object games (JONUM).
ADOPTE LE GUIDE RELATIF AUX OBLIGATIONS DE LUTTE CONTRE LE BLANCHIMENT DES CAPITAUX ET LE FINANCEMENT DU TERRORISME DES ENTREPRISES JONUM FIGURANT EN ANNEXE.
Source: 42
- 15 Oct 2026
Décision n° 2026-177 — Combo Trio
LA FRANÇAISE DES JEUX is authorized to operate Combo Trio through physical distribution networks and online. The decision is dated 15 October 2026; the document says commercialisation is planned from 5 April 2027.
Source: 43Not yet in our report
- 15 Oct 2026
Décision n° 2026-171 — agrément de jeux de cercle en ligne
BETSSON FRANCE is licensed to operate online circle games at www.betsson.fr for five years from 15 October 2026. The operator must meet the decision’s archival-support and certification obligations.
Source: 44Not yet in our report
- 12 Oct 2026
The national gambling authority has approved the specific rules for the lottery game 'Numéro Fétiche', available both physically and online.
The approved game rules bind La Française des Jeux (FDJ) on how the game is run, published and made available to players.
Source: 45Checked 13 Oct 2026
- 6 Oct 2026
The horse racing betting software « Clients de jeu Offline (Kiwi, Mango, PMU+ (QR Code), FSMS) » of the company GIE PARI MUTUEL URBAIN has been approved.
Le logiciel de paris hippiques « Clients de jeu Offline (Kiwi, Mango, PMU+ (QR Code), FSMS) » de la société GIE PARI MUTUEL URBAIN est homologué.
Source: 46
- 6 Oct 2026
The horse betting software « Client de jeu Online (PMU Play) » from GIE PARI MUTUEL URBAIN has been officially approved.
Le logiciel de paris hippiques « Client de jeu Online (PMU Play) » de la société GIE PARI MUTUEL URBAIN est homologué.
Source: 47
- 21 Sep 2026
fight against money laundering a first sanction of the national sanctions commission
The national sanctions commission has issued its first sanction against a licensed operator for non-compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing obligations, including pecuniary penalties and a suspended two-month ban on online gaming activity for the operator, a director, a
Source: 48
- September 2026
New warning messages for online games
The arrêté of 4 March 2026 replaces the 2010 order on warning messages; it applies to online games from 6 September 2026, each message carrying the helpline 09-74-75-13-13.
Source: 49
- 5 Aug 2026
Law 2026-725 in Force
ANJ blocking orders reach circumvention services and the ANJ president orders payment blocking.
Source: 3
- 4 Mar 2026
New Warning Messages
The arrêté of 4 March 2026 repeals the 2010 order and fixes the warning wording. It applies to online games and sports-betting retail media from 6 September 2026; other retail media and terminals follow on 6 March 2027.
Source: 9
- November 2025
Renovated Self-Exclusion Service
The ANJ opens a renovated online service for the national voluntary exclusion register, with identity checked by a dynamic selfie.
Source: 50
- 1 Mar and 1 Jul 2025
Levy rates in force
The CGI rates in force since 1 March 2025 and the social-security levies in force since 1 July 2025 put online sports betting at 59.3% of GGR and poker at 10% of GGR plus 1.8% of stakes.
Source: 32
- 3 Oct 2024
FDJ completes €2.45bn tender offer for Kindred Group (Unibet)
La Française des Jeux (FDJ) successfully completed its public tender offer for Kindred Group on 3 October 2024, acquiring 90.66% of Kindred shares for €2.45bn. The French Competition Authority cleared the deal in May 2024 subject to separation conditions between FDJ's monopoly and competitive activities. Settlement-delivery from 11 October 2024; the offer was reopened until 18 October 2024 at SEK 130 per SDR. Created the new FDJ United gaming champion.
Source: 51
- 1 Jan 2020
ANJ Created
Ordonnance 2019-1015 creates the Autorité nationale des jeux as successor to ARJEL, effective 1 January 2020; its college first met on 23 June 2020. The FDJ exclusive rights are entrusted for 25 years.
Source: 52
- 1 Jan 2019
Fixed Duty on Online Operators Suppressed
The fixed duty on each application for, or renewal of, an agrément (CGI art. 1012) is suppressed by the Finance Law for 2019.
Source: 53
- 12 May 2010
Law 2010-476 Opens Online Betting and Poker
The law opens online sports betting, horse-race betting (pari mutuel) and poker to licensed operators, under the former regulator ARJEL.
Source: 27
- May 2010
Online gambling opened to licensed operators
Law 2010-476 of 12 May 2010 opens online sports betting, horse-race betting (pari mutuel) and poker to operators holding an agrément; online casino games stay prohibited.
Source: 54
Operator myths vs reality in France
Common assumptions about gambling licensing that turn out to be wrong in practice.
- MythAn EU licence, such as Malta's, is enough to operate in France.
- MythThe main cost of entry is the licence application fee.Reality
False. There is no application, issue or annual licence fee: the fixed duty was suppressed from 1 January 2019. The cost is the levies (up to 59.3% of GGR on sports betting), the 15% contribution on advertising and promotion costs, the guarantee of players' funds and certification.
- MythPoker is taxed on stakes alone, which makes it unviable.
- MythAn operator can use any supplier freely because France licenses only operators.
Markets that work like France
Compared on what our records hold for each country: whether online casino, betting, poker and lottery are licensed, state-run or banned, the licensing model, what the operator tax is levied on and its band, how most advertising channels are treated, and how foreign licences are treated. A point we hold for only one of the two countries counts for nothing.
- AlbaniaReviewed
Online casino banned; betting and lottery licensed; licensed market; tax on GGR; most ad channels restricted; foreign licences mostly blocked.
- CameroonReviewedFrench GuianaAI overview
Online casino banned; betting, poker and lottery licensed; licensed market; most ad channels restricted.
- BelgiumCheckedNetherlandsIn review
Betting, poker and lottery licensed; licensed market; tax on GGR; most ad channels restricted; foreign licences mostly blocked.
Methodology & sources
The research behind our France coverage
Counted across every France page, not this page alone.
compiled 28 Oct 2026
12
official websites
regulators, legislatures, courts
174
pages cited
specific documents, not homepages
214
sourced data points
each traced to the instrument
Across every France page on this site: players, operators and the licence guide. The research report behind them cites official sources: the law, the regulator, the gazette, the courts and each platform’s own published advertising policy. Page sections not yet rewritten from the report may cite other sources.
The same research as a 63-page France report: every one of the 201 checklist questions, each answer cited to the instrument behind it.
Request the France reportOur Deep AI Scan took France through all 201 questions of our regulatory checklist, from 139 official documents, read on 28 Oct 2026. Our research team then traced every figure on this page to the document and sentence that states it. The full research report is due to go to our compliance team. Where a fact rests on a press report or a law-firm summary rather than an official document, the page says so.
Documents cited on this page
- 1Décision n°2026-175 du 15 octobre 2026
- 2Décision n° 2026-PR-125 du 12 octobre 2026
- 3Loi n° 2026-725 du 3 aout 2026 (Légifrance)
- 4ANJ: jeux a objets numeriques monetisables (JONUM)
- 5Assemblee nationale: dossier of PPL n° 2899
- 6ANJ: publicite pour les jeux d'argent (guidelines and charters of 7 November 2022)
- 7ANJ Communication 2022-C-003: offers with a financial gratification
- 8ANJ Communication 2022-C-002: recommendations on commercial communications
- 9Arrete du 4 mars 2026: warning messages (Légifrance, JORF 6 March 2026)
- 10ARCOM deliberation n° 2022-73 of 19 October 2022
- 11Loi n° 2023-451 du 9 juin 2023 on commercial influence (Légifrance)
- 12ANJ news 9 January 2026: examen des strategies promotionnelles 2026
- 13Google Ads Gambling and Games Policy
- 14Google Ads Help - Certification Eligibility Update (March 2026)
- 15Google Play Developer Policy Center - Gambling
- 16Google Play Help - Country allowances for gambling apps (France excluded for online casino)
- 17Apple App Store Review Guidelines
- 18Google Ads - App campaigns
- 19Apple Search Ads Policies
- 20Meta Business Help Center - Gambling and Gaming Policy
- 21ANJ news 30 January 2024: casinos spoofing French brands on Facebook
- 22ANJ news 13 February 2026: advertising during the 2026 World Cup
- 23Code de la securite interieure, L320-1 to L320-18 (Légifrance)
- 24ANJ: lutter contre l'offre illegale (blocking and 2024 figures)
- 25ANJ news 7 October 2024: online casino information campaign and blocking figures
- 26Code monetaire et financier, L563-2 (republisher extract)
- 27Loi n° 2010-476 du 12 mai 2010 (Légifrance, consolidated)
- 28ANJ news 3 March 2025: EUR 800,000 sanction
- 29ANJ news 21 September 2026: first AML sanction by the Commission nationale des sanctions
- 30ANJ news 4 December 2023: study of the illegal online offer
- 31ANJ: Bilan 2025 du marché des jeux d'argent (PBJ total 14,1 Md€; en ligne 2 617 M€)
- 32Code general des impots, arts 302 bis ZG to ZO (Légifrance)
- 33Code de la securite sociale, arts L137-20 to L137-27 (Légifrance)
- 34Code general des impots, art. 1609 tricies (Légifrance)
- 35ANJ: tableau fiscalite 2025 (11 December 2025)
- 36ANJ: l'offre illegale (page for players)
- 37Assemblee nationale: PPL n° 2899 (9 June 2026)
- 38ANJ news 15 July 2026: EUR 500,000 sanction
- 39Arrete du 27 mars 2015: cahier des charges for online operators
- 40ANJ: certification des operateurs
- 41Décision n° 2026-PR-133 du 23 octobre 2026
- 42Source
- 43Décision n°2026-177 du 15 octobre 2026
- 44Décision n°2026-171 du 15 octobre 2026
- 45Décision n° 2026-PR-124 du 12 octobre 2026
- 46Source
- 47Source
- 48Source
- 49Source
- 50ANJ news 18 November 2025: new online voluntary exclusion service
- 51Source
- 52Ordonnance n° 2019-1015 du 2 octobre 2019 (Légifrance)
- 53BOFiP ACTU-2019-00127: fixed duty on online operators suppressed from 1 January 2019
- 54Source
- 55ANJ: demander un agrement
The 10 documents this page relies on most
- Loi n° 2010-476 du 12 mai 2010 relative à l'ouverture à la concurrence et à la régulation du secteur des jeux d'argent et de hasard en ligne (consolidated)Regulator
- Décret n° 2010-518 du 19 mai 2010 relatif à l'offre de jeux et de paris des opérateurs de jeux et a la mise à disposition de l'Autorite nationale des jeux des données de jeux (consolidated, in force 8 Oct 2026)Regulator
- Arrêté du 27 mars 2015 portant approbation du cahier des charges applicable aux opérateurs de jeux en ligne (JO 4 Apr 2015, with annex)Regulator
- Code de la sécurité intérieure, chapitre preliminaire (arts L320-1 to L320-18), version in force on 8 Oct 2026Law
- Décret n° 2010-482 du 12 mai 2010 fixant les conditions de délivrance des agréments d'opérateur de jeux en ligne (consolidated)Regulator
- Décret n° 2020-1349 du 4 novembre 2020 relatif aux modalités de régulation de l'Autorité nationale des jeux (JORF 6 Nov 2020, original version)Regulator
- Code general des impots, chapitre XX 'Prélèvements sur les jeux et paris' (arts 302 bis ZG to 302 bis ZO), version in force on 8 Oct 2026Law
- ANJ: Demander un agrémentRegulator
- Code de la sécurité intérieure, chapitre préliminaire (L320-1 to L320-18), consolidatedLaw
- ANJ Communication n° 2022-C-002 du 17 février 2022 (recommandations sur les communications commerciales)Regulator
Also cited on this page
- ANJ: operateurs agrees (list of licensed operators and sites)
- Loi n° 2024-449 du 21 mai 2024 (SREN), arts 40-41 (Légifrance)
- ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2025 annual average (USD/EUR 1.1300) applied to the regulator's EUR figure: a derived USD value, kept for the map's cross-country ranking
- Assemblée nationale: proposition de loi n° 2899 visant à encadrer la publicité pour les paris sportifs (9 June 2026)
- Assemblée nationale: proposition de loi tendant à interdire la publicité pour les paris sportifs (23 June 2026)
139 documents in all. Request the full research report for every source, answer by answer.
Looking for the player guide?
For consumer-facing information about gambling in France (tax on winnings, where to play legally, self-exclusion options), see the France player guide.
Disclaimer. This page reflects the law as we understood it on 4 Nov 2026. Rules change: always check the current position with Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ). We are not a legal adviser.