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Summary of our market study
The French sports betting market has grown considerably. The size of the online sports betting market has more than doubled, reaching a value of 8.5 billion euros, and gross online gaming revenue (GIG) is around 1.4 billion euros.
There are around 3.5 million online gamblers. Each bettor spends an average of between 2,300 and 2,400 euros a year. The average age of these punters is around 30.
The unit amount of each bet is stable at between 11 and 12 euros. The return rate for players who reinvest their winnings in new bets is 86%.
Soccer is the most popular betting sport, accounting for 56% of total stakes in France, or over 4.5 billion euros. The 2022 World Cup illustrated this popularity by setting a new record in France, with 51 million euros wagered on the final match alone.
Soccer is followed by tennis and basketball, which together account for almost 90% of all bets.
The market is highly regulated to limit illegal activities, with the ANJ supervising authorized operators.
Main market players
- Française des Jeux (FDJ): French state lottery operator with a monopoly on brick-and-mortar betting.
- Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU): specialized in horse racing and sports betting
- Winamax: one of the ANJ-approved online sports betting operators
- ZEbet offers a range of betting options
- Unibet is part of the Kindred Group, a transnational player
- Betclic Group: well-established entity in the European betting market
- Bwin: world-renowned brand is part of the Entain gaming group
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Presentation and definition of the sports betting market
A sports bet is a wager on a sporting result, given odds (a coefficient used to calculate the potential payout). If the bet is right, the bettor receives the expected winnings, otherwise he loses his stake. In France, sports betting is reserved for adults. Sports betting has existed in France since the late 19th century, with the development of horse racing and the Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU). Over the years, betting has diversified, and it is now possible to bet on virtually every type of sport and sporting event around the world. The early 2000s saw the development of online sports betting sites with virtual betting rooms.
There two ways to place sports bets :
- bricksand mortar, in the physical network of Française des Jeux (FDJ)
- online, on the websites of sports betting operators approved by the ANJ (Autorité Nationale des Jeux).
The global sports betting market is on the rise: estimated at $100 billion in 2023, it should reach $160 billion by 2028. The online gambling industry actually doubled between 2023 and the 4 years before.
In France, the sports betting market has been growing steadily over the past decade, in terms of both sales and bets, and is one of the most dynamic segments of online gambling. In 2023, Gross Gaming Revenue (the difference between the amount wagered by the player and the amount paid out in winnings) reached a record high, with net growth of 3.5%. The vast majority of sports betting customers are male and relatively young (under 35), looking for the best odds (for maximum winnings). Sports betting is also becoming increasingly digital, and is increasingly conducted via applications on mobile devices (smartphones, tablets). Most bets are placed on team sports such as soccer, followed by tennis and basketball.
The growing popularity of sports betting is unmistakable, and the various operators are waging a fierce battle to win new shares in a relatively concentrated market. Marketing efforts include communication campaigns (partnerships with soccer clubs or TV channels, with sports personalities, etc.) and promotions (notably bonus offers and "boosted" odds). The aim is also to take advantage of major sporting events such as the World Cup, Euro soccer or, on a smaller scale, the Olympic Games, which are key moments for recruiting new punters. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, 360 million euros in bets were recorded, three times more than the Tokyo games.
Sports betting platforms in France are increasingly turning to intensive marketing aimed at younger players: this way of doing things is starting to be prevented with advertising that goes in the other direction: prevention in the face of the risks of being addicted and losing everything.
1.2 A well-established and growing global market
The chart shows that the sports betting market is experiencing steady and sustained projected growth, rising from $*** billion in **** to a forecast of around $*** billion in ****.
This reflects a growing interest in sports betting, thanks in particular to the rise of online platforms. Clearly, this is a fast-growing sector, with numerous ...
1.3 Strong growth in the French market
According to the Ligue de Football Professionnel, sales in the online sports betting market correspond to the total amount of bets. The graph below shows how the market will evolve over the ****-**** period:
Growth in the size of the online sports betting market France, **** - ****, in millions of euros Source: ...
1.4 The impact of the health crisis
In ****, the online sports betting industry was booming with double-digit growth, reaching **.**%. Then, in ****, this dynamic suddenly came to a halt, marking a drop of -*.**%. This drop was more than just a figure: it illustrated the upheavals caused by the health crisis, the freeze on sporting competitions, and punters' reluctance ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Profile of the sports bettor
As for the typical gambler's profile, a study by theANJ establishes that he "is a man (***).
Still for the year ****, the ANJ provides the following demographic data concerning the profile of bettors: the median age is ** and the average age **. Only **% of punters are women. There were *,***,*** unique players this year, ...
2.2 An upward trend in the number of bets, players and stakes
Since the advent of online sports betting, the craze for the practice has continued to grow, and the lure of winning that drives gamblers can be seen on three levels:
- the French are betting more and more
- they are betting ever greater sums
- more and more people are ...
2.3 Football: far ahead in French preferences
As explained above, the distribution of bets depends on the competitions taking place in the various sports. Nevertheless, there are unmistakable trends regarding the most popular sports on which players prefer to bet:
Breakdown of bets by sport France, ****, in Source: ****
The data in this chart reveal a persistent but declining ...
2.4 The lure of profit as the main motivation
Logically enough, the prospect of winnings remains the main reason for betting activity in France. The following graph describes this trend, as well as other motivations for betting:
"Which criterion motivates you most when you bet online on matches?" France, ****, in Source: ****
Almost half of the punters surveyed consider the ...
2.5 Team sports attract more and more punters
Amounts bet over the Olympic period France, ****, in millions of euros Source: ****
Swimming saw a sharp rise in bets during the **** Olympic Games in Paris. The "Marchand phenomenon" recorded ***,*** bets worth *.* million euros. **% of all Olympic swimming bets were placed on Léon Marchand!
However, this phenomenon remains marginal because it ...
2.6 France's favorite platforms
Which platform do the French prefer, by age group? France, ****, in Source: ****
The data show that FDJ (***) dominates all age groups by a wide margin, with strong popularity among young and old alike. This underlines its role as market leader, benefiting from a long-standing reputation and a strong physical presence.
conversely, ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Online sports betting market value chain
In France, the sports betting market has two main distribution channels: physical and online. These two networkstwo networks comprise ** licensed operators regulated by the ANJ acrossn all of France. A distinction is therefore made between betting carried out :
By internet, with online bets placed on the platforms and websites of online ...
3.2 A highly concentrated market
As we'll see in the regulations section, the sports betting market is highly regulated, and only ANJ-approved organizations are entitled to operate on French territory. Nevertheless, since the market was opened up to competition in ****, the number of approvals has steadily increased:
growth in the number of sports betting licences France, ...
3.3 A large illegal sports betting market
Although it is difficult to accurately assess the size of the black market in sports betting, a report published by the LFP estimates that over **% of bets are made illegally. In some countries, "street" betting is very widespread (***) and culturally deeply rooted. In addition, every country in the world is confronted ...
3.4 Prognosticators with false tips
False prognosticator rate France, ****, in Source: ****
False tipsters" are players who sell advice on online sports betting while deceptively promising guaranteed winnings. Following reports from theAutorité Nationale des Jeux (***), the DGCCRF investigated ** sites offering such services.
Of these, * were in breach of the law for messages suggesting that a player using ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Sports betting typology
There are many different ways to place sports bets in France. In this section, we'll take soccer as an example, as this sport accounts for the majority of sports bets, and it would take far too long to draw up an exhaustive list of all existing bets. What's more, the vast ...
4.2 An offer promoted by intensive marketing
Despite an increase in the main indicators on the sports betting market, the reputation of this practice seems to have deteriorated since ****. The same survey conducted by Odoxa with Winamax in **** and **** shows the changing image of sports betting among the French:
The image of sports betting sites France, ****, in Source: ...
4.3 Supply trends: partnerships with content creators and bonuses
Influencer marketing
To target a younger audience, online sports betting operators often call on content creators/influencers. ** of the ** online operators called on ** content creators during the **** World Cup. This relatively recent strategy is known as influencer marketing. Among the personalities approached, ** had between *.*k and **k subscribers on at least ...
4.4 Seine saint denis: younger and younger punters
At what age did you start playing Seine-saint-Denis, ****, as % of population Source: ****
This graph shows just how young people are when it comes to online sports betting: **% of them started gambling at the age of ** or younger. The Parijeune survey tells us even more: the average age of punters in Seine-saint-denis ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Regulatory framework
Decree no. ****-*** of May **, ****: Specifies the conditions for approval of online sports betting operators. It sets out the rules of transparency, financing and commitments that operators must respect to obtain authorization to offer online games.(***)
Decree no. ****-*** of June *, ****: regulates the sale of betting rights by sports competition organizers. ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Unibet.com
- Betclic Group
- Winamax
- ZEbet Zeturf
- Bwin
- JOA groupe (JOA on line)
- BetStars
- NetBet
- France Pari
- Vbet
- Genybet
- EuroSportBet
- Française des Jeux FDJ
- PMU Pari Mutuel Urbain
- Feelingbet
- Parions Sport
- Partouche Sport
List of charts presented in this market study
- Trends in the global sports betting market
- Online sports betting PBJ trends
- Growth in the size of the online sports betting market
- Year-on-year changes in online sports betting revenues
- Online gaming penetration rate
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Latest news
Gambling: casinos worried about Unibet joining FDJ | Casinos worried about Unibet joining FDJ - 17/09/2024
- - In addition to its monopoly activities (lottery and sports betting at points of sale), FDJ is extending its activities into the competitive gambling sector, including online horse and sports betting, following the acquisition of Kindred (Unibet's parent company) and ZEturf.
- - FDJ must maintain a clear separation between its monopoly and competitive activities, including the Kindred deal. - Separate websites or applications for each type of activity.
- - Player accounts specific to each activity, with no gateway between them.
- - Prohibition on reconstituting a customer database for monopoly activities intended for competitive offers.
- - Marketing of competitive games under own brand(s).
- - Outcry from Casinos de France, which questions the concentration of players around FDJ and will be vigilant to ensure that commitments are respected.
- - Concern that the acquisition of Kindred (operator of online casinos in certain countries) could give FDJ a head start in the online gambling sector, particularly if France were to legalize online casinos.
FDJ launches Nirio banking offer - 30/04/2024
- - Use of the Nirio application to pay certain bills or rent
- - Premio offer price per year: 29.90 euros
- - Deposit limit at a tobacconist's: 1,500 euros per month
- - Target group for the new service: around six million people struggling to make ends meet
- - Number of retailers authorized to roll out Nirio Premio: around 5,000 (out of 10,000 retailers offering the Nirio service)
Stéphane Pallez reappointed head of Française des Jeux - 26/04/2024
- - FDJ reported an increase in earnings in 2023, positively influenced by several factors.
- - FDJ's sales in 2023 totaled 2.62 billion euros, up 6.5% on the previous year.
- - Net income rose significantly, by 38% to 425 million euros.
- - This growth was driven in particular by the acquisition of the Irish lottery and betting operator ZEturf, as well as by strong momentum in sports betting and online gaming.
- - In January, the Group made a major announcement concerning the launch of a takeover bid for Kindred, the parent company of operator Unibet.
- - Development strategy, to diversify and invest in new market segments, notably online casinos.
"Bistrot à la française": the PMU concept to widen the circle of bettors - 27/03/2024
- - Objective to strengthen PMU's presence in city centers.
- - Strategic plan to recruit one million new players in three years, presented at the end of 2022.
- - 150 urban mutual betting establishments planned by 2027, in towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants.
- - Investment of 40 million euros to modernize physical facilities.
- - 85% of bets are placed at the point of sale.
FDJ growth boosted by poker and sports betting - 15/02/2024
- - Total stakes for Française des Jeux (FDJ) in 2023: 21 billion euros.
- - FDJ sales in 2023: 2.6 billion euros, an increase of 2.8% on 2022 (on a like-for-like basis), and 6.5% including its two previous acquisitions.
- - The lottery business suffered a 25% decline due to the reform of the Amigo game.
- - Euromillions activity declined due to a low number of high jackpots.
- - Lottery sales (including scratch cards) up 1.1% (total 1.9 billion euros), or 4.9% excluding Euromillions and Amigo.
- - Online gaming sales rose by 10.9%, 8.4% excluding the contribution of ZEturf.
- - Share of online gaming (including lottery) increased from 11% to 13% of Net Gaming Revenue in 2023.
PMU reverses negative trend in horse betting - 08/02/2024
- - PMU achieved revenues of 10.007 billion euros in 2023
- - The volume of horse stakes rose by 2% to 9.3 billion euros, reaching its highest level since 2013.
- - The point-of-sale network recorded an increase in stakes of over 1%, to 6.9 billion euros.
- - Internet betting increased by 5%.
- - International stakes rose by 2% to 1.5 billion euros.
- - PMU to open around 1,000 new sales outlets by 2023
- - PMU recently opened its 14,000th point of sale.
- - PMU's net profit for 2023, which will be paid in full to the horse racing industry, is 835 million euros.
- - Internet sports betting and poker generated €650 million in stakes in 2023.
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