France’s Gambling Industry Nears $14 Billion in Revenue in 2022

Focus Gaming News reports that the French gambling regulator, ANJ, revealed how the industry fared in 2022.

The lion’s share of the GGR* came from two state-owned gambling giants: the lottery operator Francaise des Jeux (FDJ) and the horse racing betting company Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU). Together, they contributed $8.8 billion to the total GGR, or 64% of the market.

The report showed that lottery revenue increased by 10.2% year-on-year to reach $6 billion, while land-based casino revenue soared by 130% to $2.7 billion. 

Sports fans had plenty of action to bet on too, as sports betting had a strong showing, with a GGR of $1.48 billion and a turnover of $8.9 billion. Football was the top choice for bettors, making up 56% of all wagers placed. Tennis and basketball followed with 22% and 12%, respectively. These three sports accounted for 90% of all bets placed at licensed bookies in France.

The report also covers online poker, which brought in $474 million in GGR in 2022. But online casino lovers were still out of luck – they’re banned in the country. However, that might change soon, as Gambling Park reported that a draft law to legalize online casinos in France has been introduced.

_{* GGR — is a financial metric used in the gambling industry to measure gross revenue. It’s calculated like: amount wagered minus amount won.}