French Online Betting Growth Leans on World Cup Month as Wider Market Stalls

^{France's gambling regulator says online betting growth in the first half of 2026 was concentrated in the World Cup month. (Photo: Jorge Royan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0)}

France's gambling market barely grew in the first half of 2026, with online betting doing the heavy lifting and almost all of its sports betting growth packed into June, the opening month of the World Cup. The figures come from the first-half report of the French regulator, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ).

Gross gaming revenue, excluding casinos and gaming clubs, reached €5.66 billion, up 0.5 per cent on the first half of 2025. A year earlier the same measure had grown 4.1 per cent. Casinos and clubs report annually, so they are not included.

Online Is the Only Growth Engine

Online gross gaming revenue reached €1.45 billion, up 11 per cent against 8.2 per cent in the first half of 2025, and now makes up 25.6 per cent of the market. The online market was the only contributor to growth, adding 2.5 percentage points.

Sports betting was the largest driver. Online sports betting stakes rose 10.6 per cent over the half to €6.6 billion, but the ANJ says growth was 4 per cent from January to May and 47 per cent in June. Online sports betting revenue reached €995 million.

June also drove player numbers: active player accounts rose 69 per cent year on year that month. Operators' promotional effort rose with it, and acquisition bonuses were nearly four times higher than in June 2025, while stakes per account fell 14 per cent over the half.

The ANJ says sports betting growth was 4 per cent from January to May, against 47 per cent in June.

Poker and Racing Grow Steadily

Other segments grew more evenly. Online poker revenue reached €290 million, up 13.4 per cent, with active accounts up 39 per cent and Sit & Go formats making up 70 per cent of the segment. Horse racing stakes rose 16 per cent to €920 million, their biggest increase since 2021.

Across the online market, active player accounts reached 5.85 million, up 24 per cent, and unique players 4.06 million, up 17 per cent. Payouts to players in the form of bonuses and rewards rose 28 per cent to €199 million, equal to 13.8 per cent of online revenue against 11.9 per cent a year earlier.

Monopoly Operators Weigh on Results

The activities under exclusive rights dragged on the total. FDJ United's exclusive-rights revenue fell 2 per cent to €3.43 billion, led by draw games, down 7.6 per cent. PMU revenue fell 5.8 per cent to €782 million, its third consecutive annual decline, on stakes down 3.8 per cent to €3.1 billion.

The ANJ says the full-year outcome will depend partly on FDJ United, which accounts for 61 per cent of revenue outside casinos, and which has said it aims for stable revenue in its French network. The online market enters the second half with a record player base, but the regulator says annual growth will depend on how those players behave once the tournament ends.

For more on the regulator's recent work, see how the ANJ renewed its advertising oversight pact with the ad watchdog, and what lies ahead for the French gambling market.