Online Casinos Could Become Legal in France

France may soon allow online casinos, thanks to a bill introduced by Philippe Latombe, a lawmaker from the Democratic Movement, according to Casino Nieuws.

The bill states that online casinos will be allowed to operate only for gambling companies that already run land-based casinos in France. This condition will last for five years, starting from January 1, 2030.

After that, the market will be open to all other operators.

The bill explains that this restriction is necessary to protect the national casino industry from potential harm caused by opening the market to all gambling companies without exception.

The bill also suggests applying the same tax rates to online casinos as those currently imposed on land-based gambling establishments.

In addition, the bill requires that online casinos offer games similar to their brick-and-mortar counterparts.

The push for legalizing online casinos in France started in January of this year, when Nicolas Béraud, the CEO of the gambling company Betclic, made a case for it. He claimed that French players would have much greater protection compared to what unlicensed gambling companies offer.

In addition, it would benefit France’s budget – which would receive additional tax revenues. For reference: the online casino market in France is estimated to be worth €1 billion annually.