France: No legalisation of online casinos for the time being

In France, there have recently been clear signals pointing towards the legalisation of online casinos in the near future. However, the responsible budget minister announced a few weeks ago that the amendment to the 2025 draft budget has been withdrawn. This included the legalisation of online casinos. But what are the reasons why France is now distancing itself from liberalisation again?

Last year, we at GambleJoe reported on the fact that influencers are no longer allowed to advertise sports betting in France. As was announced a few weeks ago, people in France cannot expect online casinos to be legalised in the near future. French Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin explained that the government had withdrawn the corresponding amendment to the 2025 draft budget. Accordingly, the legalisation of online casinos in France is off the table for the time being - but why?

Plans need to be revised again, according to the minister

The amendment has been withdrawn as a more extensive revision is required. According to the Budget Minister, Mr Saint-Martin, it is very important that no mistakes are made in this important project. For this reason, he said that he would rather take the time to calmly revise and reconsider the plans for the legalisation of online casinos.

Under no circumstances does the budget minister want land-based casinos to suffer as a result of the legalisation of online casinos. The latter had previously warned of the considerable negative consequences that could result from the opening up of the online gambling market. For example, the operators of land-based casinos have warned that thousands of jobs could be lost. Specifically, it is assumed that the legalisation of online casinos could lead to the loss of up to 15,000 jobs. It was only in August of this year that we reported on New Zealand's plans to legalise online casinos.

France forgoes millions in tax revenue

Of course, the legalisation of online casinos would also have meant that the French state coffers would have benefited from tax revenue. In order to compensate for the lack of tax revenue from the online gambling sector, the French government is now planning a so-called wealth tax. The tax is to be levied on assets of one billion euros or more and will amount to 2%.

Budget Minister Saint-Martin criticises the planned new tax, as it could lead to wealthy people in particular turning their backs on the country. In the summer of this year, we at GambleJoe answered the question of how well the betting business went at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Conclusion

Online gambling remains illegal in France for the time being. This means that France is taking a different path to Germany, where the decision was made several years ago to open up the online gambling market under strict player protection measures. However, the plans for the legalisation of online casinos in France are not yet completely off the table. It is possible that the plans will be looked at more seriously again in the coming yea

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