French Poker Market Keeps Declining

Friday July 5,2013 : FRENCH ONLINE POKER MARKET WOES CONTINUE
 
H1-2013 numbers show decline in cash game activity, but sports betting is looking good
 
Online poker's decline in the ring-fenced French i-gaming market continued in the first half of 2013, a meeting of European regulators was told by French regulator ARJEL as the week closed.
 
The Agence France Presse news agency reports that regulators were informed that French licensed online poker operators' turnover slipped 14 percent y-o-y to Euro 2.7 billion as cash game activity declined.
 
Tournament action fared better, with wagers in H1-2013 stable at Euro 713 million, although GGR fell 12 percent y-o-y to Euro 135 million and active player numbers slipping by 7 percent to 906,000.
 
Heavy taxation and a limited player pool remain a concern for operators in the market, although pan-European regulators are currently discussing shared liquidity possibilities.
 
For French sports betting operators the picture was somewhat rosier, with turnover up y-o-y to Euro 402 million and GGR up by 11.5 percent y-o-y to hit Euro 80 million, driven mainly by football betting.
 
Similarly, internet parimutuel horseracing wagering rose 2 percent y-o-y to Euro 578 million, and GGR was up 2.5 percent to Euro 137 million compared with H1-2013.