Online Casino, casinos

According to a survey by the Ipsos Media CT Institute 20% of online players spend more than 50 euros per month on cash games. The liberalization of the market is being delayed.

More than 3 million French people already play cash games on the internet and more than 20% of them spend more than 50 euros per month according to a survey by the marketing institute Ipsos Media CT as revealed in the Figaro. The internet users questioned by the marketing institute know for the most part (68%) that the market isn't yet open to competition, only the PMU and the Francaise des Jeux sites are authorised in France while waiting for the freeing up of the market at the start  of 2010.

However, 10% of them already play on unauthorised poker , casino games and sport betting sites ( like Bwin,Unibet, Betclick...). « The french are players, they haven't waited for the opening up of the market, planned by the government for the start of 2010, to benefit from the offers already available on the internet » explains Juliette Delfaud, director of development in charge of surveys at Ipsos Media CT. Although they know of the liberalization which is in preparation, the majority of internet users ( 47%) don't know the ins and outs. « They think that all cash games will be authorised, including slot machines and roulette, which won't be the case » points out Juliette Delfaud.

A predominantly male clientele
Online players do it to win money and for the pleasure of winning but also to take their time and play comfortably at home. Who are they? Mostly men : they make up 71% of the clientele of the online Francaise des Jeux and the PMU and 59% of the other sites. In a proportion that is « relatively high on authorised sites » it is mostly students and second level pupils (24% of the players on these sites although they only represent 18% of the French internet population). According to the Ipsos survey, 43% of players playing on « illegal » sites spend more than 20 euros per month « which is quite a lot » according to Juliette Delfaud. But in an almost equal proportion 45% only spend 1 to 5 euros per month on these sites. On the PMU and Francaise des Jeux sites, 45% of players spend more than 20 euros per month, and 37% between 1 and 5 euros. This study permits for the first time the drawing up of a profile of a french internet player before the liberalization of the market. This opening up to competition of cash games on the internet is being delayed. According to the claims of Jean- Francois Lamour, the proposer of the law on online betting, it won't come into being until February or March and not at the beginning of 2010. « The aim is to be ready for the football World Cup in June 2010 » he has told the Figaro. The proposed law will go before the finance commission on the 21st of July, already with some amendments. The Olympic Committee, for example, wants more finance for sport by increasing the deductions from sports betting from 1% to 1.8%. The communes which have casinos are asking for more deductions from poker.

Debate in the Assembly in September
At first the french replied « point by point » to the detailed notice sent by Brussels asking them to modify and clarify certain elements.

According to our information, the government, while weighing up the candidates for a licence, has finally accepted that the regulatory authority take into account the controls already imposed on operators who have a licence in other countries. It has however, kept by justifying it, the capping of winnings to players at between 80 and 85% of the wager. The debate in the Assemblee Generale, which will take place « at the end of September, beginning of October » according to Jean- Francois  Lamour promises to be very animated.