French Online Poker Struggling

Saturday April 13, 2013 : FRENCH ONLINE POKER MARKET IS STRUGGLING
 
Cash game activity wanes
 
Online poker is proving to be something of a drag on overall revenues in the French gambling market, according to an assessment by the national regulator, ARJEL.
 
Overall gambling GGR declined to Euro 188 million in Q1-2013 – down slightly from the Euro189 million recorded in Q1-2012.
 
Numbers from the most recently completed quarter show that online poker GGR slipped to Euro 72 million – a 13 percent year-on-year decline occurring mainly in cash game activity, where there was a drop in the average number of weekly cash game players of 9 percent. Poker ring game stakes sank 13 percent to Euro 1.48 billion.
 
Likely causes include high taxation and a shrinking player pool in the dedicated market.
 
Conversely, sports betting performed well, with GGR up 19 percent to Euro 44 million, and wagers up 17 percent to Euro 204 million thanks mainly to betting on football, basketball and tennis, all of which showed significant double-digit increases.