Posting date: May 26, 2023 at 07:17h
Last updated: May 26, 2023 at 07:17h
If a bill that was introduced this week is passed, France could join the growing list of countries with legal online casinos. France might add its name to the growing list of legal online casino countries if a bill that arrived this week finds success.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks in front of lawmakers. The government will explore a bill to legalize online casino. (Image:
Witnessing the changes in the market and an increasing interest in online gambling, French lawmaker Philippe Latombe drafted Bill 1248. Bill 1248 is an attempt to expand online gambling slowly but significantly. It has already been presented to the National Assembly. This results in no consumer protections, a lack of attention to potential gambling harms and less revenue for the government.
Faced with these developments, it appears that the absolute prohibition regime is de facto not very protective for consumers. This justifies raising the question of the evolution of the French legal framework in order to adapt it to new practices
,” reads French Bill 1248 (translated).
Therefore, the first step is to legalize online casino games. This would allow France to begin rolling out a new regulated market similar to the land-based casino market already in place.
However, expecting resistance from the land-based casino industry, Latombe has a solution. Only casino operators will be allowed to initially apply for an internet license. According to the bill, the taxes and fees that operators of online gaming platforms would pay would be the same as those paid by land-based casinos. The bill also states that only the gambling options which are currently allowed in land-based casino will be available online. There is no hurry to make any changes and it’s still too early to update. The bill also states “until 2020”, so the new segment may not be launched until 2025. Since 2005, lawmakers have been trying to legalize digital gambling. It also restricted the options available and was mainly an attempt to open up the sports betting markets ahead of the World Cup that year. According to lawmakers, both of these games are based on skill and not chance. To them, this means they’re safer than other forms of gambling.However, with more people using online gaming platforms, legal or otherwise, priorities over what makes or breaks a legislative bill change. Previous attempts to legalize online casinos failed. This time, it may be different.