Online Casino Gambling in France: Why No Licence Exists

Under the law of 12 May 2010 that opened France’s online gambling market to competition, and the 2019 ordinance that created the ANJ to replace its predecessor ARJEL, three categories were opened to competitive online licensing: sports betting, horse-race betting and poker. This sits alongside separate, non-competitive frameworks — lottery and scratch games remain authorised through the Française des Jeux (FDJ) monopoly, and land-based casinos are separately licensed and legal, including experimental Paris gaming clubs extended through 2027. None of these other frameworks extend to online casino games.

This is current law, not an administrative backlog. Industry estimates have put the potential French online casino market in the billions of euros annually with meaningful projected tax revenue, and a formal consultation on opening the category was launched, but land-based casino operators, local elected officials and public-health arguments carried the political weight against it. The ANJ confirmed in April 2026 that the consultation remains suspended with no timetable, and the 2026 finance law left the prohibition untouched. As a practical consequence, major slot and live-table software providers generally do not supply their games to ANJ-licensed operators, since no licence category for those games exists to supply into — they typically supply operators licensed elsewhere, such as in Malta or Curaçao.

Under Code de la sécurité intérieure article L324-1, operating illegal gambling in France carries criminal penalties of up to 3 years’ imprisonment and a €90,000 fine, rising to 7 years’ imprisonment and a €200,000 fine when committed by an organised group. Article L324-3 separately punishes distributing, or contributing to the distribution of, prohibited gambling media with a €100,000 fine, which a court can raise to four times the advertising spend involved in the illegal operation. That second provision is directed at distribution and promotion, not just operation — a further reason a site like this one does not recommend or rank operators that fall outside the ANJ’s licensed categories. Since March 2022, the ANJ has also held direct administrative power to block and delist illegal gambling sites without prior court authorisation; by its own published count, it has issued 506 blocking orders covering 2,365 URLs.

The criminal provisions above are directed at the operator and at distribution or promotion of an illegal offer, not at an individual simply placing a bet. That does not mean playing on an offshore site carries no consequence: the practical risk sits on the financial side — a transaction blocked or reversed by a payment provider, no recourse if a site refuses to pay out — and on the fiscal side, around undeclared winnings.

Industry research has repeatedly found that a large number of people in France have played on illegal gambling sites without realising the offer was unlawful, with online casino sites among the most popular categories. Given the ANJ’s active enforcement posture, the distinct legal exposure that can attach to distributing or promoting an illegal offer under Article L324-3, and the fact that there is no licence category to verify an online casino operator against in the first place, we are publishing this page as a factual explainer rather than a recommendation list.

Some industry estimates suggest a realistic opening no earlier than 2027 to 2029, but that is an industry estimate, not a regulator’s position — the ANJ itself has confirmed no timetable exists as of April 2026. Treat any claim of an imminent French online casino launch with caution until the ANJ or the French government states otherwise directly.