France's gambling market sees modest growth in first half of 2026
Online gambling and the FIFA World Cup drove a slight increase in total gross gaming revenue, while retail sectors declined.
France's regulated gambling market saw total gross gaming revenue grow just over 0.5 percent year-over-year in the first half of 2026, according to the national gambling regulator ANJ.
Total market GGR, excluding casinos, reached €5.66 billion between January and June, a sharp deceleration from the 4.1 percent growth seen in the same period of 2025.
Online gambling was the primary growth engine, generating €1.45 billion in GGR, an 11 percent increase.
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Online sports betting GGR rose 11.6 percent to €995 million, with stakes in June skyrocketing by 47 percent year-over-year as the FIFA World Cup began.
"Stakes in June skyrocketed by 47% YoY, compared to the modest 4% growth for the January-May period," the regulator's report noted.
The total value of stakes for the six-month period amounted to €6.6 billion.
Online poker also performed strongly, with GGR up 13.4 percent year-over-year to €290 million, and active player accounts jumping 38.5 percent to 2.3 million.
Growth was seen throughout H1, with Active Player Accounts (APAs) jumping by 38.5% to 2.3 million.
Compared to sports betting APAs, which jumped 69% YoY in June but were up only 11% YoY in May, poker providers seem to have noticeably been expanding their player base faster.
In contrast, retail sectors declined.
GGR from exclusive retail activities of FDJ United fell 2 percent year-over-year to €3.43 billion.
Lottery draw games brought a noticeable -7.6% drag contributed to "fewer and lower Euromillions jackpots" and weaker footfall in the second quarter due to higher-than-average weather temperatures.
FDJ represents 61 percent of the total French market GGR and has indicated it aims to stabilise its France-facing activities by the end of the 2026 financial year.
Pari-mutuel horse racing operator PMU recorded a 5.8 percent decline in GGR to €782 million, marking a third consecutive year of decline.
This was a gradual acceleration in decline from the -2.6% recorded in H1 2025.
PMU is undergoing state-backed restructuring through the Pacte PMU 2030 plan, which aims to modernise the French horse racing sector.
PMU's own contributions to the sport will drop to €725m in 2026 compared to last year's €802m commitment.
The operator's transformation will be led by Cyrille Giraudat, who was appointed as Chief Executive Officer at the end of 2025.