A few days ago, during the examination of the draft budget in the Finance Committee, the government included an amendment paving the way for the legalization of online casinos and therefore their taxation.
Immediate outcry from traditional casinoslike Barrière or Partouche, who shouted about unfair competition. Opposition also from the association of mayors of France who fears seeing small establishments close the curtain. Anger finally, associations of addiction to games. It must be said that the timing chosen by the government was a little curious: at the same time, the National Games Authority – the sector’s policeman – had launched a major awareness campaign on social networks on the dangerousness of these sites.
Faced with these barrages, the government backed down at the start of the week.
An undoubtedly temporary decline
When it comes to online games, no one understands anything. Because on the one hand, there is what is authorized: all the online games of Française des Jeux, Poker and sports betting. And then, everything that is illegal and the players don’t necessarily know it: these are the games of chance that promise you wonderful winnings. They are operated from sites located abroad and they have hyper-aggressive practices with risks of bank fraud, hacking of personal data, non-payment of winnings and addiction.
The National Gaming Authority estimates that in 2023 between 3 and 4 million French people will regularly visit these illegal sites. and played almost as much as on legal sites.
So, France is one of the only countries in Europe, with Cyprus, not to have liberalized this type of site. Those who defend their legalization claim that it would make it possible to better regulate them, to better monitor them… and above all to tax them.
The tax could bring in big dividends
Up to 1.3 billion eurosaccording to a study by the Astères firm. Always good to take. Because gaming addiction has a social cost estimated at more than a billion euros each year. This means more absenteeism from work, an increased risk of dismissal or illness. On this subject as on many others, prevention is undoubtedly better than cure.
