France’s Gambling Industry Forecast to Hit €14 Billion in 2024, Rising to Fourth in Europe

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By Arijit Roul - 12 May, 2025 More about the author

France is set to hit €14 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2024, making it the 4th largest gambling market in Europe. This figure, from the 2024 ANJ annual report, is up 4.7% from last year. Much of this growth is due to the online gambling boom, especially sports betting and lottery, and a year filled with big sporting events like the UEFA European Championship and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

ANJ calls 2024 a record year for online gambling, driven by sports betting. This vertical alone generated €1.8 billion in revenue, up 19% from 2023. Online sports betting now accounts for 12% of the entire French gambling market and 43% of the market growth in 2024.

There was a big jump in participation with this revenue increase. 5.7 million active accounts, up 11% year on year. Sports betting saw the biggest growth in user activity, 13%, poker 11% and horse racing 4%. ANJ says this is a bounce back for the digital space after two years of declining user numbers.

Unique player accounts, a key measure of engagement, are at 3.9 million, up 8% on 2023. The demographics are also changing. 18-24 year olds now make up 30% of sports bettors and the gender gap is narrowing as more women enter the online gambling space.

The regulator puts this growth down to a busy sports calendar but also to deliberate marketing by gambling operators. ANJ say “aggressive commercial strategies” were a key factor, citing increased advertising spend, big bonuses and targeted cross promotion as the main drivers of 2024.

Market Breakdown by Sports and Betting Preferences

Of the 40+ sports to bet on in France, 4 are leading the way. Football led the pack with €5.63 billion, tennis with €2.27 billion, basketball with €914 million and rugby with €186 million. These 4 sports represent 87.5% of all online bets for the year. While they have lower market shares, other sports such as volleyball, handball, hockey, badminton and cycling had a robust growth – 31% higher than last year.

FDJ United: France’s Market Leader in Gaming

FDJ United, the state-backed lottery and gaming operator, remained the dominant force in the French gambling landscape in 2024. For the first time in its history, the company passed €7 billion in gross revenue, up 6% year on year. That’s nearly half of France’s total gambling revenue.

A lot of that was down to the lottery, which was €5.8 billion, 5% up on 2023. The company’s acquisition of Kindred Group and subsequent European expansion has solidified its position as one of the top three operators in Europe.

The report said FDJ United was the biggest contributor to the market’s growth and its 2024 performance was proof of its grip on the national gambling market.

PMU’s Mixed Fortunes: Declining Revenue, Expanding Player Base

Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), the French horse racing betting monopoly, has seen a slight decline. Total bets were €6.6 billion, gross revenue was down 2% at €1.7 billion. But they are working to attract more customers.

In response to the changing gaming landscape PMU has launched various initiatives to target a younger and more urban audience. Despite the revenue drop, they have 6% more customers, 3.5 million now, back to pre-pandemic levels of 2019. Margins were stable, operational resilience.

Looking Ahead: Opportunities and Risks in 2025

According to ANJ, the trend will continue in France but 2025 will bring new challenges. The main one is the competition for player attention in a year without major sporting events. Advertising spend is already up 11% and will increase further, and with aggressive promotional strategies to acquire and retain players, the risk of gambling harm will be higher.

Regulatory changes are also coming. One of them is the 15% tax on advertising expenses for sports betting operators. This is part of the 2025 Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) and will come into force on July 1st 2025. ANJ is worried about the impact on operator investment and promotional activity in the second half of the year.

And 2025 will be a key year for digital gaming in France. A pilot program for monetizable digital objects (JONUM) was approved under the SREN Act on May 21st 2024. Pending final regulatory clearance, it will launch in September 2025. ANJ will closely monitor the roll out to ensure JONUM remains separate from traditional gambling and doesn’t encourage problem behaviours.