Gambling Laws in France

Gambling in France is considered to be legal in almost all of its variety. The French gambling laws, in particular, the Law No. 2010-476 from 12 May 2010 - on opening the online gambling and betting market to competition and regulation - is the main regulatory act of all online gambling activities in the country. It is also the act that liberalized the French gambling market, as, before its enforcement, some forms of gambling were all a monopoly of La Française des Jeux (FDJ) or Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU). Under the current French gambling legislation, all forms of online gambling are legal, with the exception of online casinos and betting exchanges. There are two regulatory bodies of the land-based and the online gambling activities: the Minister of the Interior supervises the land-based gambling, while Autorité de Régulation des Jeux en Ligne (ARJEL), an official body formed with the introduction of the French Gambling Act, is responsible for the supervision of the online gambling sector.

Is Online Gambling Legal in France? Yes. With the exception of online casino games and betting exchanges, all other forms of online gambling are legal in France, according to the Law No. 2010-476 from 12 May 2010.

Online Casinos in France

Online casinos in France are not legal. The Law No. 2010-476 from 12 May 2010 which legalized most of the online gambling in the country, left the online casinos outside of its scope, due to the conviction of the regulatory bodies of the gambling sector in France, that casino sites can be highly addictive. Consequently, as of May 2019, there is no state regulatory body that grants French online casino licenses.

Online Poker in France

Although there are no specific French online poker laws, the Law No 2010-476 from 12 May 2010, makes online poker sites legal across France. The online French poker scene is based on a wide diversity of licensed poker sites, although the many players are still using illegal international platforms operating from elsewhere in Europe.

Online Lottery in France

In absence of special French online lottery laws, the Decree 85-390 from 1 April 1985 serves as the regulatory document of this game. In this way, as of May 2019, the national lottery is a legal monopoly in France, operated by La Française des Jeux. It has an exclusive license for offering land-based as well as an online lottery in the country.

Online Bingo in France

Bingo in France is considered to be a casino game. Consequently, and despite the fact that it is legal unlike other casino games of chance, online bingo sites are exclusively run by FDJ. However, there hasn’t been any attempts so far by the French gambling authorities to block foreign online bingo sites which target French players.

Online Sports Betting in France

The operations of online sportsbook sites in France are regulated by Law No. 2010-476 from 12 of May 2010. Online horse betting, on the other side, is regulated by the  Decree 2010-498 from 17 May 2010. Only the sports that are determined by ARJEL can be offered by bookmakers in France.

Online DFS in France

Online DFS sites in France are legal and regulated by ARJEL. Even though it wasn’t included in the first law concerning online gambling in 2010, it was then considered online betting in the Decision No. 2016-030 from 14 April 2016.