| Updated: September 30, 2024With a long history when gambling is concerned, and a significant contribution towards the development of fan-favorite games like roulette, France continues to be a gambling hotbed even today. France’s gambling market has seen massive growth over the past few years, which comes as a result of the opening to competition and the regulation of online gambling.
After the gambling environment has been profoundly transformed, the online gambling segment continues to grow as the share of French people who place their bets online has doubled between 2010 and 2019. The love for casino games of French people does not go unnoticed by casino operators, and they seek to cater to the choosiest players in terms of game variety, special deals, customer support, and mobile play, to name a few.
Casino Sites in France
In order to have a great time while placing their bets online, gambling enthusiasts should have full confidence that their chosen online casino is up to snuff in all major departments. Although players have different tastes when it comes to casino games, they should also make sure that the operator is reliable and passes the mustard when it comes to payments, security, betting on the go, and customer support, to name a few.
Fortunately for players from France, the premium-quality online casinos where they are more than welcome to join are thick on the ground, so they are unlikely to have a hard time discovering a platform that lives up to all their expectations.
Best Casino Bonuses in France
Players are often attracted to online casinos more than to their land-based cousins because online casino operators tend to lavish upon new and returning users a variety of bonuses. The special deals gambling enthusiasts will be in for as soon as they create their accounts and along the line are casino-specific, and might vary substantially from one platform to another.
Occasionally, to make players’ stay something to write home about, casino operators seek to present them with attention-grabbing sign-up offers. Depending on the casino, these offers might be activated after newcomers top up their accounts for the first time, but some operators also offer no-deposit welcome deals. As for the second type of bonus deals, such do not require a qualifying deposit and might offer a bunch of free spins or a specific bonus amount.
Welcome Bonuses Free Spins Cashback Bonuses Refer a Friend Bonuses VIP BonusesWelcome Bonuses
When it comes to the welcome casino bonuses for which a deposit is required, gambling enthusiasts need to know that they might be given exclusively on their first top-in or might be spread over more deposits.
It should be pointed out that the French regulator, the ANJ, recently issued guidelines about bonus offers. The regulator paid special attention to the language that is used while advertising bonus offers, and pointed out that the rules should be expressed clearly and in an unambiguous way. The regulator also insisted that a cap of €100 should be imposed on welcome no deposit bonuses, no matter whether it comes to packages or single bonuses. Still, for now, these are non-binding recommendations, but it does not hurt if players are familiar with them.
Free Spins
Special offers that are designed with reel spinners in mind also enjoy great popularity, and free spins might be offered as stand-alone offers or as an addition to match bonuses. Depending on the bonus type, the free spins winnings might be subject to wagering requirements or might be instantly added to players’ real-money balance.
Cashback Bonuses
Some online casinos provide their users with reimbursement of their losses through rebate bonuses. Thus, if players’ betting sessions have not been that fruitful during a specific period of time, they might be offered the chance to make back some of the funds they have lost. What players need to know about cashback deals, however, is that the funds they will be offered to get are unlikely to be that handsome.
Refer a Friend Bonuses
There are also online casinos that encourage their users to invite their friends to register for an account. When this happens, existing users benefit from a bonus amount that depends on the casino.
VIP Bonuses
Reload, birthday, and loyalty bonuses are also among the recurring special incentives players might be presented with while placing their bets online. In order to determine whether the chosen bonus is up to scratch, gambling enthusiasts should look into the terms that are attached to the offer and have to do with the wagering requirements, game contribution, and so on.
Casino Regulation in France
France is a country of Christian-Catholic tradition, where a ban on gambling activities has been in place for quite a long time. Formerly, games of chance were illegal in the country, but throughout the years, some such activities were legalized after a number of exemptions were granted. In fact, French laws that deal with gambling are all built around the principle of general prohibition, and gradually, a number of exceptions and exemptions were introduced.
Thus, the French National Lottery was given the right to offer sports betting and lottery games, while The Pari Mutuel Urbain can offer horse race betting.
In October 2019, the government got permission to reform the regulation of gambling activities and games of chance as a result of the introduction of the Ordinance of 2 October 2019. In essence, the Ordinance of 2 October 2019 plays a crucial role as it brought about some major changes, including the introduction of a new regulator to oversee the Pari Mutuel Urbain and the FDJ. The National Gambling Authority (ANJ) took over the powers of the former Online Gambling Regulation Authority, and was also given new powers.
Legislation and Case Law Summary Gambling RegulatorsLegislation and Case Law Summary
The ANJ is the authority, which issues stamps of approval to sports betting and online casino operators. Its scope of intervention was extended recently, and the ANJ can now order Internet service providers to block platforms that market illegal gambling. Operators that cater to players from France are subject to criminal penalties. Additionally, the ANJ has introduced a proposal that measures should be taken to block financial flows to such platforms.
When players are concerned, however, the French legislation does not envisage any penalties for residents of the country who engage in illegal online gambling. Yet, what players need to know is that by doing so, they will not benefit from protection.
As far as brick-and-mortar casinos are concerned, such can be opened only after operators go through a specific licensing procedure, and acquire a seal of approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Online casinos can only accommodate players from France, given that they have a seal of approval from the ANJ. In order for a casino operator to apply for a stamp of approval from the ANJ, the company must have its headquarter in a country within the EU or an EEA state.
The PMU and FDJ’s monopoly over online gambling came to an end after the introduction of the Online Gambling Law. After the law came into effect, authorized and privately owned online gambling operators are allowed to offer three types of gambling services, more specifically, gambling ring deck card games, horse racing, and sports betting. It should be noted, however, that up to this date, poker remains the only authorized game, as the rest of the casino games are considered too addictive.
In spite of the fact that multiple private operators expressed their willingness to apply for a license and cater to the French market, the total number of authorized operators is 15, and this includes the PMU and FDJ.
Formerly, the legal age for gambling was 21 years but in 1983, the minimum gambling age was lowered to 18 years.
Gambling Regulators
Depending on the nature of the gambling activity and, most importantly, whether it takes place online or offline, there are several administrative bodies and public authorities that oversee and regulate gambling. The Ministry of Home Affairs issues land-based gambling licenses, regardless of the type of establishment. All forms of online gambling are overseen by the ANJ, a public entity that emerged as a result of the reforms in the industry that took place from 2015 to 2019.