Gambling in France

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Gambling in France is legal. According to a 2022 TGM Research report, 49% of people in France participated in some form of betting in the 12 months prior to the report's data collection; the figure includes 28% who specifically bet on sports. [1]

Contents

History and contributions

The gambling industry in France has a very long history, and the country holds some of the oldest and most popular gambling establishments in the world. [2] France has also contributed to the development of popular casino games. It was in France that the queen card became a permanent feature of the Blackjack deck, replacing the nobleman in the 16th century. [3] In the 17th century, French mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the roulette wheel which later led to the introduction of the roulette game. [4] Additionally, parimutuel betting has a French origin and was invented around 1870. [5]

In 1987, the minimum gambling age in France was lowered from 21 to 18. In 1988, slots machines became legal after previously being banned. The ARJEL, the National Gaming Authority, is responsible for regulating the gambling industry in France. [6] [7] There are also two operators that hold a monopoly in the country. Française des Jeux (FDJ) benefits from a state monopoly until 2044 for lottery games (both online and offline) and offline sports betting, while Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) benefits from a state monopoly for offline horse betting. In 2010, France legalized online gambling as well, including online sports betting.

Remote gambling

The first steps toward the legalization of remote gambling in France were made in 2005 when the European Commission started to investigate the French gambling market. In 2006, the Commission gave a notice and then requested in 2007 to make amends to existing law in compliance with European Union (EU) laws. As a result, in 2009, the French government introduced a bill that partially opened the gambling market to operators from other EU countries. [8]

However, the Remote Gambling Association criticized the main provisions of bill for offering unfavorable conditions for new operators as opposed to incumbent state-owned operators. The main lines of criticism included its limited range of gambling services that can be offered by operators, its unfavorable taxing regime, its low payouts for players, and its stringent requirements like the necessity to keep gambling servers in the territory of France. [9]

The Law n° 2010-476 of May 12, 2010, regarding the introduction of competition and sector regulation of gambling and online gambling, is often referred to as the French Gambling Act. [10] It was put into effect on May 13, 2010 and subsequently opened the online gambling market in France; it also created ARJEL to regulate the industry. [11] Three other regulating authorities were also imbued with powers to regulate the gambling industry: the French Competition Authority (ADLC), the Independent Authority to Protect Audiovisual Communication Freedom (CSA), and the Commission Nationale de L'informatique et Des Libertés (CNIL). [11]

Since then, there have been three types of licenses corresponding to the three types of online gambling activities allowed by the French gambling law: [12]

  1. Online sports betting (live betting, pool betting, and fixed odds betting)
  2. Online horse race betting (pool betting)
  3. Online poker games (Texas Hold'em Limit, Texas Hold'em Pot Limit, Texas Hold'em No Limit, and Omaha Hold'em)[ citation needed ]

Casino games, as well as spread betting and betting exchange, [10] are not licensed—the lawmakers have stated that they were too addictive. Although poker is one of the games frequently played at casinos, it remains legal because game outcomes depend on the skills of players who can alternate their strategies depending on each game's situation. [13]

Online gambling in France was legalized shortly before 2010 FIFA World Cup. As a result, gamblers opened over 1.2 million accounts on licensed sites in the first month. Altogether, they bet €83 million which was almost twice as much in money than the same period in 2009; back then, the only option for legal online betting was via state-owned betting websites. [14]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling in China</span>

Gambling in China is illegal under Chinese law and has been officially outlawed since the Communist Party took power in 1949. Any form of gambling by Chinese citizens, including online-gambling, gambling overseas, opening casinos overseas to attract citizens of China as primary customers, is considered illegal. In practice however, Chinese citizens participate in state-run lotteries, regularly travel to legal gambling centers overseas or in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau and access gaming through offshore based proxy betting and online gambling companies.

Gambling in Nigeria is not well regulated. Although there is a gambling law in place, many illegal casinos operate in the country. The legal land-based casinos are located in the two largest cities. The biggest casino is The Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos. Nigerian law focuses on activities to reduce money laundering and illegal gambling.

Gambling in Brazil has several legal restrictions. Casinos have been considered illegal in Brazil and considered a criminal misdemeanour since 1946, by a decree signed by President Eurico Gaspar Dutra, who would have been influenced by his wife Carmela Teles Dutra, who was known for her strong religiosity to Catholic Church. However, horse betting and sports betting are legal in Brazil. Since 1967, the state-owned bank Caixa Econômica Federal have the monopoly on the exploitation of lotteries in Brazil.

References

  1. ↑ TGM Research. "Research data of Sports Betting and Gambling industry in France". TGM Research. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  2. ↑ Why French Casinos Are Struggling
  3. ↑ Blackjack History
  4. ↑ Inventor of the Week: Mechanical Calculator
  5. ↑ "Pari-mutuel Tax". Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  6. ↑ New York Times: Europe Unleashes Online Gambling to Fill Coffers
  7. ↑ "eGaming Review: France votes in online gambling laws". Archived from the original on 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  8. ↑ On-line gambling: Commission welcomes France's decision to open its gambling market and closes infringement procedure
  9. ↑ Failed Bet for France
  10. 1 2 European Conference on Gambling Studies and Policy Issues: Online Gambling in France
  11. 1 2 The French Gambling Act : True competition?
  12. ↑ ARJEL: What Can I Bet On
  13. ↑ Gambling in France: The Law in Progress
  14. ↑ "Europe Unleashes Online Gambling to Fill Coffers (Published 2010)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2022-04-09.
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