Gambling in France has shown a promising upward trend, with gross gaming revenue (GGR) rising by 3.5% year-on-year in the first half of 2025. The increase, amounting to €5.7 billion (approximately $6.7 billion), has been significantly influenced by the robust performance of the online sports betting sector. The national regulatory body, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), reported that this figure surpassed the €5.5 billion recorded during the same period last year, excluding revenues from land-based casinos and gaming clubs, which were reported separately.

The online gambling sector has been a key driver of this growth, particularly in sports betting, which saw a remarkable 10% increase in revenue, reaching €961 million. This surge was supported by a 15% rise in stakes, totalling €6 billion. Notably, the number of unique player accounts also rose by 10% during this period.

Interestingly, this growth occurred despite the absence of major global sporting events in the first half of the year. In contrast, the same period in 2024 featured the early stages of the Euro 2024 football tournament, which likely contributed to higher betting volumes. Football continues to dominate the betting landscape in France, accounting for 52% of all online wagers, followed by tennis at 26%, basketball at 9%, and rugby at 2%. The remaining 11% of bets were placed on various other sports.

While online sports betting did very well, other segments of the online gambling market did not fare as well. Internet poker revenue experienced a decline of 4%, totalling €246 million. Cash game poker revenue was particularly hard hit, dropping by 15% to €47 million, although other formats remained stable. This overall decline in poker revenue occurred despite a 10% increase in unique players, which the ANJ attributed to effective cross-selling strategies.

In the realm of online horse racing, revenue remained flat at €174 million, with stakes increasing by a modest 1% to €795 million. However, the growth rate was slower compared to the previous two years, and the number of unique online horse racing players fell by 3% year-on-year.

The ANJ also released separate figures for La Française des Jeux (FDJ), which completed its acquisition of Kindred Group in October 2024. This acquisition significantly boosted FDJ’s revenue, which rose by 19% in the first half of 2025, reaching €4.4 billion. Sports betting remained the primary revenue source for FDJ, generating €3.5 billion, a 4% increase from the previous year.

The impact of the Kindred acquisition was particularly pronounced in the online betting and gaming segment, which skyrocketed by 458% to €703 million. However, international lottery revenue for FDJ saw a decline of 9%, amounting to €168 million during the same period.

The ANJ also provided insights into the performance of Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), which reported revenue of over €830 million in the first half of 2025. This figure represented a 2.6% decrease compared to the same period in 2024. PMU faced challenges in the first quarter, with revenue dropping by 4% and stakes declining by 5.5%. Although there was a slight recovery in the second quarter, revenue remained down by 1.3%, and wagers decreased by 3%.