Online betting and bookmakers in France

Every year in France, millions are gambled on online betting platforms. We take a look at this constantly evolving sector.

Betting legislation in France

France has introduced legislation on sports betting primarily to protect online gamblers. For a long time, La Française des Jeux held a monopoly on gambling, until the French government passed the 2010 law that opened the field to competition and regulation of online gambling and betting. The role of regulator was entrusted to the ARJEL, which ensures compliance with legal provisions and the security of Internet users. As a result, only bookmakers with ARJEL approval are allowed to offer online betting to the French. Another limitation is that the framework only covers sports betting, online poker and turf betting (online casinos are not authorised).

What types of betting do the French prefer?

Online gambling has become a favourite pastime for many French people. Sports betting attracts the most people, driven by sites such as Betclic, Bwin, France-pari, NetBet, Parions Sports, Unibet, Winamax, 1xBet, 22Bet and Zebet.

Football accounts for more than half of the stakes recorded by bookmakers. The Champions League is the main attraction, followed by the French Ligue 1 and the English Premier League. During matches, you can bet on almost anything: victory, defeat or draw, normal or handicap score, total number of goals scored, number of corners conceded in the first half, first yellow card, and so on. Naturally, the odds vary according to the importance of the matches. Please note that some bets are limited or even prohibited. This is the case for National League matches, matches in lower divisions or international friendlies involving a team not ranked in the FIFA top 50.

After football, tennis and basketball (NBA) are the other two major sports that attract the most bets. But you can also gamble on boxing, surfing, Formula 1, snooker, cricket and so on. There are even some unusual bets, such as predicting the next President of the United States or the sex of Prince William’s first child! Horse racing betting remains a great classic, while online poker is booming.