Online Casinos in France

Online casino games are prohibited in France. Only online sports betting, horse-race betting and poker are legal, and only through operators licensed by the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ). Players must be 18 or over. The state lottery is run by FDJ and horse betting retail by PMU.

Last verified: 2026-10-01

Partly. The 2010 online gambling law opened only three online products to licensed private operators: sports betting, horse-race betting and poker. Online casino games such as slots, roulette and blackjack remain prohibited, and France is one of very few EU countries without a licensed online casino market. Lottery games are a monopoly of La Française des Jeux (FDJ), and PMU holds exclusive rights over horse-racing bets in retail.

The regulator is the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ, anj.fr). Offering or promoting prohibited online casino games is an offence, and the ANJ publicly warns consumers about unlicensed sites. If you want to know about legal online betting in France, look for an ANJ-licensed sportsbook or poker site, not an online casino.

The ANJ grants licences (agréments) per product category for five years. Licensed operators must verify identity and age, offer deposit and loss limits, and connect to national protection tools.

• Minimum age: 18.
• Self-exclusion: the ANJ's voluntary gambling ban (interdiction volontaire de jeux) blocks access to licensed operators for a period you choose, with a minimum duration set by the ANJ.
• Esports and unlicensed betting markets are restricted, and licensed operators may only offer events and bet types authorised by the ANJ framework.
• Enforcement: the ANJ can order blocking of illegal sites and payment channels.

France taxes licensed gambling heavily. Reporting indicates that tax on online sports betting rose sharply in July 2025, reaching a level reported at roughly 59% of gross gaming revenue alongside a new advertising levy, but exact current rates should be verified with the French finance ministry. Player winnings from licensed gambling are not taxed.

A government amendment to legalise online casinos at an effective 55.6% tax rate was floated in the autumn 2024 budget, then withdrawn after strong objections from land-based casinos and the collapse of the government. The 2026 finance act left the prohibition untouched. The ANJ has estimated that unlicensed online casinos generated between €748 million and €1.5 billion in 2023. Legalisation remains a live policy debate, but nothing has been adopted.

Football, tennis and horse racing lead online betting, and poker is the other licensed product. Typical payment methods are bank cards (Carte Bancaire), bank transfer and e-wallets. Welcome offers and advertising are tightly controlled under ANJ rules, and gambling advertising must carry mandatory warnings and must not target minors.

Because online casino games are illegal, any French-language site offering them is operating outside French law and offers no protection from the ANJ. Using a VPN to access such a site does not change its legal status.

For France, blucca.com treats the market as restricted. We do not promote online casino operators to French visitors. Where we reference licensed products, we limit mentions to operators holding an ANJ agrément for sports betting, horse racing or poker. Our content is editorial and not a promise of winnings, and some links may earn us a commission.

Joueurs Info Service offers free, confidential support on 09 74 75 13 13, and you can request the ANJ's voluntary ban through the ANJ website. Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over.

Affiliate disclosure: blucca.com may earn a commission if you register with a licensed operator through some links. This never changes our licensing checks. 18+ or the legal age in your location. Gambling carries risk and is not a way to make money. If gambling is a problem, seek help.