Total gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the online sector surged by 12% year-on-year to €2.6 billion.
France’s online gambling industry experienced a record-breaking year in 2024, driven primarily by the rapid growth of online sports betting.
Total gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the online sector surged by 12% year-on-year to €2.6 billion. Sports betting accounted for €1.8 billion of that figure, marking a 19% increase and cementing its position as the sector’s main growth engine.
While online horse racing GGR rose marginally by 1%, online poker saw a 2% decline, ending a three-year growth streak that spanned from 2021 to 2023.
On the land-based side, casinos generated €2.7 billion in GGR, up 1.2%, with footfall holding steady at around 31 million visitors, according to France’s gambling regulator, L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ).
In total, France’s combined land-based and online gambling markets recorded €14 billion in GGR for 2024 — a 4.7% increase year-on-year.
The ANJ reported that FDJ United retained its position as the country’s largest gambling operator, surpassing €7 billion in GGR for the first time — a 6% increase from 2023, fuelled mainly by lottery sales which contributed €5.8 billion (up 5%).
Meanwhile, Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) posted €6.6 billion in stakes and €1.7 billion in GGR — a 2% decrease. Nevertheless, its net result remained stable at €837 million, slightly up from €835 million in the previous year.
“Although its market share fell to 12%, overtaken by online sports betting for the first time, PMU’s player base expanded by 6%, reaching 3.5 million users — a return to pre-COVID 2019 levels,” the ANJ noted.
Across the board, active player accounts (APAs) climbed to 5.7 million in 2024, up 11% compared to the previous year. The number of unique players also rose by 8% to 3.9 million.
Sports betting led the growth in player engagement, with active accounts up 13%, followed by online poker (up 11%) and horse racing (up 4%).
The ANJ highlighted the changing profile of bettors, noting:
“The sports betting audience has become younger and more gender-diverse, with 30% now aged between 18 and 24.”
Football remained the top sport for betting in 2024, attracting €5.6 billion in stakes. It was followed by tennis (€2.27bn), basketball (€914m), and rugby (€186m), which together accounted for 87.5% of all online betting activity.
Emerging sports like volleyball, ice hockey, badminton, handball, and cycling saw significant betting growth — up 31%.
Commenting on the drivers of growth, the ANJ stated:
“Beyond the favourable sporting events, market momentum is being driven by aggressive commercial strategies from operators, including increased advertising budgets, sustained financial incentives and cross-selling initiatives across gambling products.”
However, the regulator also issued a cautionary outlook for 2025:
“With no major sporting events on the horizon, there is a risk of intensified gambling behaviour driven by high advertising pressure — promo budgets are set to rise by 11%. Cross-selling to new users may also push risky play.”
The ANJ also warned that new regulations could affect the market, particularly a proposed 15% tax on advertising spend for sports betting operators as part of the French Social Security Financing Law (PLFSS), which may come into effect in the second half of 2025.