The French Online Poker Market Reaches Equilibrium The French Online Poker Market Reaches Equilibrium
cactusbeetroot, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License
Key Takeaways
  • The French market appears to have stabilized its performance and is now moving in lockstep with the broader dot-com market.
  • A certain proportion of the population appears to be determined to play online poker almost regardless of the regulatory and tax environment.
  • It looks entirely possible that the French market in 2014 will perform almost exactly in line with the global market.
  • In a year’s time, the ARJEL annual report may be taking credit for the stabilization—which it will have achieved without any regulatory change at all.

The 2013 annual report from French regulator ARJEL identified the major decline in cash game poker, but offered no hope for regulatory changes such as lower taxes, or shared liquidity, to improve the situation.

Despite the lack of action operators can expect in the French market, the annual report for 2014 may show a substantial improvement.

The French market appears to have stabilized its performance and is now moving in lockstep with the broader dot-com market.