Unsurprisingly, the possible launch of France’s regulated online casino market was the central topic of discussion at the AFJEL (Association Française du Jeu Electronique) annual conference.
Nicolas Béraud, CEO of French market leader Betclic and president of AFJEL, emphasized his belief that, amid the growth of the illegal market, the “status quo is no longer sustainable.”
In other words, licensed operators face losses and are unable to offer consumers a competitive and essential product.
Is regulation of online casinos really the solution?
Asked whether regulation would bring the illegal market into a regulated environment, Béraud said he was not sure “if it was denial; the topic is not whether it should open, the market is already open.”
Therefore, he added that French players can find an online casino site on Google within minutes. “People are playing it without even realizing it’s an illegal site.” He also highlighted that, with an estimated four million players already active and revenues of €2 billion, the illegal market in France is already “the size of a mature market”.
“We honestly don’t know if rates of problem gambling have gotten worse in recent years. Therefore, authorities need to integrate the four million players from illegal websites into a regulated and safe environment. There is no one better than online operators to monitor activity and detect problem gamblers,” added Béraud.
Furthermore, in providing an analysis on the future of online casino regulation, Isabelle Falque-Pierottin, president of France’s gaming regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), stated that there is a real balance to be struck in terms of the future of regulation.
“There are 1.4 million problem gamblers and 400,000 excessive gamblers (in France). So what would be the impact if we added addictive products?” The head of the ANJ also asked whether the regulation would put an end to the illegal market. “It will certainly help, but the benefit is not that obvious.”
She also detailed the potential impact the regulation could have on land-based casinos. “It would not remain on the sidelines of an existing market, it is as important, if not more significant, than in 2010.” That year, France legislated on sports betting and online poker.
The case of Denmark
Anders Dorph, CEO of Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gaming Authority, stated that the most important part of combating illegal gambling “is ensuring that you have a legal offering that gives the opportunity to have a solid legal market”, so that operators legal entities can compete effectively.
Dorph added that “blocking illegal pages by DNS (is) like hunting rabbits.” But since Denmark started doing this, there have been “13 times fewer illegal online casinos, so it definitely helps.”
