Gaming figures in France but falls in Europe

Français okay, olé, olé
Français okay, olé, olé
While Europe enjoyed over a third of the share of the £232 billion (US$370bn) global gambling market in 2009, with a gross gaming yield (GGY) of £79.2bn, the Olde Worlde saw an overall GGY drop of 5.6%.

The French, however, do like to do things differently and last year La Française des Jeux’s (FDJ) and Pari Mutuel Urbain’s (PMU) both bucked the European trend to record strong results, with FDJ top de la classe after sales surpassing £8.5bn.

As the French market is set to expand to offshore operators next month, estimates predict further future growth. “We forecast that French Internet gambling will be worth more than €1bn [£851m) in GGY by 2013, based on the current legislation,” said GBGC’s Chief Executive Warwick Bartlett. Putain! That can buy you beaucoup de baguettes. Read more.