The French trade association Casinos de France is sounding the alarm. According to them, the legalisation of online casinos would lead to an annual loss of 546 million euros. They point to damage to local economies, reduced employment and additional costs for public health.
This warning comes in response to pleas from AFJEL, the association of online gambling companies. It wants to legalise online casinos in order to tackle illegal sites and increase tax revenues.
AFJEL speaks of billions in lost tax revenues
According to AFJEL, 5.4 million French people are active on illegal gambling sites. They believe that legalising this market could generate €1.2 billion in tax revenue. AFJEL chairman Nicolas Béraud argued in Paris for reform of the tax system and warned against the growth of unlicensed providers.
Casinos de France calls these figures inaccurate and speaks of deception. Chairman Grégory Rabuel argues that the promised revenues do not exist and that jobs, local budgets and community projects in particular are at risk of being lost.
A similar concern was previously expressed in the AFJEL report on the online gambling market, which highlighted both the risks and opportunities.
Physical casinos emphasise their supervision and people-oriented approach
The organisation emphasises that physical casinos protect players. Every visitor is checked, minors are denied access and staff monitor risky behaviour. Online platforms cannot guarantee these safety measures, the sector warns.
Casinos de France also points to Sweden, where legalisation led to the closure of all land-based casinos. Despite stricter rules, almost 40 per cent of bets continued to go to illegal sites. Similar problems exist in France itself, where illegal online gambling exceeds the legal market.
The French government recently succeeded in shutting down the illegal site Crésus Casino. According to the casino federation, this proves that the current policy is already working and that no further liberalisation is needed.