Gambling in France is very popular and many traditional forms of betting activity actually have their origins in the country.

Each online casino may offer a different variation of this classic game. What will never change is the object of the game, which is to achieve 21, but how to reach that object may vary. Vegas Downtown Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, Classic Blackjack, Live Speed Blackjack – these are some of the variations. Their casino experience fits always to a casino player from France. The following online casinos that accept all FR casino players, allow players who reside in the France to deposit and play online slots machines or table and card games in those trusted casinos for real.

Online betting and gambling in France is legal and the countries residents are free to choose from a small pool of licensed providers. Check out the best French betting sites below and also the key rules and regulations regarding gambling in the country.

With the exception of online casino games, online gambling is fully legal and regulated within France. Punters using fully licensed sites, therefore, can freely pick and choose their favoured deposit methods.

Best & Licensed Betting Site For France:

T&C’s apply – 18+.

Key Facts: Online Gambling In France

Majority of gambling activities are entirely legal and fully regulated within the nation.
All land based gambling legal in licenced establishment.
Online betting & gambling legal with small pool of licenced operators.
Illegal to use online sites without licence.
Most non licenced sites blocked by internet service providers.

Gambling Legislation & Law Timeline

The above key points provide a good overview of the legal situation regarding gambling as it stands today in France. The following legislation timeline, meanwhile, helps to explain exactly how that situation came to be:

1836 – Gambling Largely Banned

In 1836 the French government passed an act which banned all forms of gambling apart from horse racing betting. In spite of this act, gambling continued to thrive in the country through illegal gambling dens.

1891 – Further Prohibitive Legislation

Whilst essentially already illegal under the 1836 act, the French parliament passed further legislation to specifically ban all forms of fixed-odds betting and non-horse racing pool betting in 1891. This was largely in order to protect the French invented and state run pari-mutuel horse racing betting industry within the nation.

1920s and 1930s – Various Forms of Gambling Legalised

Through the 1920s and 1930s, many different forms of gambling were legalised in France as long as they were undertaken through state owned providers. The two most notable such providers created were Française des Jeux (FDJ) for betting games and lotteries and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) for horse race betting.

1980s and 1990s – Further Relaxation of Restrictions

The land-based gambling industry in France continued to be legalised and opened up through the 1980s and 1990s, to the point that gambling became essentially wholly legal. Notably, too, in 1987 the legal gambling age was lowered from 21 to 18.

2001 – First Online Gambling Legalised

It was in 2001 that online gambling was first legalised in France but once again this was with the proviso that it be provided by the state run FDJ and PMU organisations. Those companies flourished and a huge amount of their income was and is committed to charitable causes within France.

2010 – French Gambling Act

Following pressure from the EU, who opposed France’s state monopoly over gambling, French authorities passed the French Gambling Act (Law No 2010-476) in 2010. That act made online poker, sports betting and horse racing betting legal in France and set out the framework for licensing and taxation of the industry.

A regulatory body called ARJEL (the ‘Regulatory Authority for Online Games’) was also created by the act. Casino games, however, were not included under the umbrella of the act as they were deemed too addictive to legalise online.

Are Players Taxed On Winnings?

The above provides all the information you require regarding the legality of gambling in France. Taxation, however, also plays a part in shaping the industry and should be briefly discussed.

Gambling in general, and online poker and sports betting in particular, are quite heavily taxed in France. This makes it difficult for operators to turn a profit in the country and by extension can have an impact on the size of winnings and payouts available to punters. On top of this, punters are also liable for tax at a rate of 2% on poker pots and of 8.5% on all sports betting winnings.

Recommended Deposit Methods

Is Online Casino Illegal In France Right Now

Even if punters use an overseas based unlicensed provider, in fact, they are individually not doing anything illegal in doing so and as such can still confidently select any method they prefer. Depositing via debit or credit card, then, is often the chosen method due to the speed, ease and security which this method offers.

Online gambling started out as an unregulated industry. The first step in the process of bringing legitimacy to the industry was the creation of online gaming commissions. Many started in island nations.

These include Malta, Gibraltar, Alderney, Isle of Man, Curacao and Kahnawake.

These jurisdictions are still by and large involved in online casino regulation. But over time, regulation of online gambling, and the development of law surrounding online gambling, has become an area of interest for larger economic powers.

Below is an overview of how online gambling is handled in a variety of major international jurisdictions.

UK online gaming regulation

The United Kingdom was the first country to address this situation. The UK Gambling Commission was created through the Gaming Act of 2005 and oversees remote gaming. This combined all gaming in the United Kingdom under one regulator. Online gaming under the jurisdiction of the Gambling Commission includes online poker, casinos, sports betting, bingo and keno.

The UK Gambling Commission created a tax on internet gaming but it had a loophole. Only companies located in the United Kingdom were required to be licensed. This motivated companies that once calling UK home to migrate to tax havens.

These offshore companies were not just evading taxes, but there were also player disputes that UK regulators could not intervene with due to a lack of jurisdiction. These two issues pushed the country to revisit its online gaming licensing process.

Any company that now operates in the UK must be licensed by the Gambling Commission. There is 15 percent tax on all gaming win, known as a point of consumption tax. The Gambling Commission also has jurisdiction in gaming disputes.

This caused some remote gaming companies to leave the market. Others consolidated brands as each required licensing under the Act.

Canada online gaming regulation

Canada is largely an unregulated country in terms of online gaming. Gaming regulations are up to the individual province. Provincial lotteries regulate online gaming in all jurisdictions where it is regulated. Poker, sports parlays and casino games are operated under a license where it is specifically approved.

Remote games are licensed under the lotteries in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

British Columbia and Manitoba operate under the PlayNow brand. Ontario’s site is PlayOLG. Quebec’s is Espacejeux. These are the only sites operated and regulated by Canada governments.

Boss Media software is used by these lotteries. The poker sites between the lotteries are networked.

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