Growth slows to 0.5%
The figures come from France's gambling regulator, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), which published its review of the first half of 2026 on 15 October. Gross gaming revenue, what players staked minus what they won, reached €5.66 billion. That was 0.5% more than a year earlier, against growth of 4.1% in the first half of 2025. Casinos and gaming clubs report once a year and are not included.[1]
The two operators that hold France's exclusive rights both shrank. FDJ United's revenue from its exclusive activities in France fell 2% to €3.43 billion; lottery games accounted for €64 million of the fall. In PMU's exclusive-rights business, stakes fell 3.8% to €3.1 billion and revenue 5.8% to €782 million, a third year of decline.[1]
Online is the only engine
Online gambling brought in €1.45 billion, up 11%, and now makes up 25.6% of the market. The number of active player accounts reached 5.85 million, a record and 24% more than a year earlier.[1]
Sports betting led the way. Stakes rose 10.6% to €6.6 billion, and the growth was concentrated in June, when the football World Cup began. From January to May stakes were up 4%; in June they were up 47%. Active sports-betting accounts in June were 69% higher than a year before.[1]
The ANJ notes that this coincided with a promotional push by operators. Rewards paid to sports bettors reached €129 million in the half, up 35%, or 12.9% of sports-betting revenue. In June alone, sign-up bonuses came to €9.0 million, against €2.4 million in June 2025.[2] Whether the World Cup has widened the pool of bettors for good, the regulator says, will show in their activity in the second half.[2]
Online poker revenue grew 13.4% to €290 million, and stakes on online horse-race betting rose 16% to €920 million, their biggest rise since 2021.[1] The ANJ recently traced 80% to 89% of the money bet on single halves and sets to players it classes as excessive.
Sources
- Autorité nationale des jeux (France) — Bilan du marché des jeux d'argent au 1er semestre 2026 : une croissance qui marque le pas, seulement portée par le marché en ligne (15 October 2026, French). Market revenue and growth, FDJ United and PMU, the online market's share and accounts, sports betting stakes by month, poker and horse-race betting.
- Autorité nationale des jeux (France) — Analyse semestrielle des jeux d'argent et de hasard en France, premier semestre 2026 (report, PDF, published with the review of 15 October 2026, French). Rewards and sign-up bonuses paid to sports bettors, and the regulator's reading of the second half.
