Gambling in France is legal. According to a 2022 TGM Research report, 49% of people in France participated in some form of betting in the 12 months prior to the report's data collection; the figure includes 28% who specifically bet on sports.^[1]

The gambling industry in France has a very long history, and the country holds some of the oldest and most popular gambling establishments in the world.^[2] France has also contributed to the development of popular casino games. It was in France that the queen card became a permanent feature of the Blackjack deck, replacing the nobleman in the 16th century.^[3] In the 17th century, French mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the roulette wheel which later led to the introduction of the roulette game.^[4] Additionally, parimutuel betting has a French origin and was invented around 1870.^[5]

In 1987, the minimum gambling age in France was lowered from 21 to 18. In 1988, slots machines became legal after previously being banned. The ARJEL, the National Gaming Authority, is responsible for regulating the gambling industry in France.^[6][7] There are also two operators that hold a monopoly in the country. Française des Jeux (FDJ) benefits from a state monopoly until 2044 for lottery games (both online and offline) and offline sports betting, while Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) benefits from a state monopoly for offline horse betting. In 2010, France legalized online gambling as well, including online sports betting.

The first steps toward the legalization of remote gambling in France were made in 2005 when the European Commission started to investigate the French gambling market. In 2006, the Commission gave a notice and then requested in 2007 to make amends to existing law in compliance with European Union (EU) laws. As a result, in 2009, the French government introduced a bill that partially opened the gambling market to operators from other EU countries.^[8]

However, the Remote Gambling Association criticized the main provisions of bill for offering unfavorable conditions for new operators as opposed to incumbent state-owned operators. The main lines of criticism included its limited range of gambling services that can be offered by operators, its unfavorable taxing regime, its low payouts for players, and its stringent requirements like the necessity to keep gambling servers in the territory of France.^[9]

The Law n° 2010-476 of May 12, 2010, regarding the introduction of competition and sector regulation of gambling and online gambling, is often referred to as the French Gambling Act.^[10] It was put into effect on May 13, 2010 and subsequently opened the online gambling market in France; it also created ARJEL to regulate the industry.^[11] Three other regulating authorities were also imbued with powers to regulate the gambling industry: the French Competition Authority (ADLC), the Independent Authority to Protect Audiovisual Communication Freedom (CSA), and the Commission Nationale de L'informatique et Des Libertés (CNIL).^[11]

Since then, there have been three types of licenses corresponding to the three types of online gambling activities allowed by the French gambling law:^[12]

1. Online sports betting (live betting, pool betting, and fixed odds betting)
2. Online horse race betting (pool betting)
3. Online poker games (Texas Hold'em Limit, Texas Hold'em Pot Limit, Texas Hold'em No Limit, and Omaha Hold'em)^{[citation needed]}

Casino games, as well as spread betting and betting exchange,^[10] are not licensed—the lawmakers have stated that they were too addictive. Although poker is one of the games frequently played at casinos, it remains legal because game outcomes depend on the skills of players who can alternate their strategies depending on each game's situation.^[13]

Online gambling in France was legalized shortly before 2010 FIFA World Cup. As a result, gamblers opened over 1.2 million accounts on licensed sites in the first month. Altogether, they bet €83 million which was almost twice as much in money than the same period in 2009; back then, the only option for legal online betting was via state-owned betting websites.^[14]