Earlier this week, Bill 1248, a legislation that could lead to the official legalization of online casino in France, was presented by Philippe Latombe of the Democratic Movement party, and is now awaiting review by the French National Assembly.

Preparing the ground for the opening of a regulated online casino market in France:

With its introduction, Bill 1248, has already begun to prepare the ground for the official opening of the regulated online casino market in France. Moreover, the main proposal of the legislation is for a “five-year moratorium”, which would make online casino gambling legal for a five-year period, but only for “national actors.”

However, Article 2 of the legislation emphasizes that this measure would last till January 1st, 2030. The market will expand beyond the existing casino license holders to include other operators that want to provide an online casino experience for players. The bill also states that “ would allow licensees in a calm economic environment to grow before the market is fully opened.” The bill states that if the market were to open immediately and in full, this would disrupt our regulatory frameworks and weaken the national gaming industry as well as the local economies. The article 3 states that online casino games “would be subject to the same levies operated by the state and local authorities for other forms of gambling.” At the end, there is Article 3 which states that online casino games “would be subject to the same levies operated by the state and local authorities for other forms of gambling.”

Players want to switch to online gambling:

Currently, any form of online casino is not legalized in France, even though internet sports betting and horse racing wagering are allowed via approved operators, and licensed land-based casinos are officially legalized. It does not, however, correspond with the Bill 1248 because it says that “the changing habits and preferences of players mean that they prefer to gamble online.” With illegal online casinos, though, players are forced into gambling with offshore, non-licensed sites which exposes them to risk. The bill states that legalizing online casinos and issuing licences to approved operators would help create a safer environment for players. Even though the authorities are trying to block and identify illegal online casinos using court orders, they have reached their limits. In light of these developments, the regime of absolute prohibition appears to be de facto ineffective for protecting consumers. It is therefore necessary to ask about the evolution of French law to accommodate new practices.