- Cash game revenue declined 5% in 2012.
- ARJEL president Jean-François Vilotte admitted that the “attractiveness of poker … is a matter of concern.”
- ARJEL thus advocates sharing liquidity for cash games with EU countries that have compatible regulations.
French regulator ARJEL has indicated that a change in its regulations is in order, admitting that pooling cash poker players with online poker sites outside of France is a must to ensure long term viability of the platform.
Industry numbers for 2012 were published this week, showing cash game revenue declining 5% during the year. Online tournaments rose 21%, although revenue from tournaments represents less than 20% of total online poker revenue.
In an annual review accompanying the figures, ARJEL president Jean-François Vilotte admitted that the “attractiveness of poker … is a matter of concern.”
ARJEL thus advocates “pooling cash poker tables to allow French players to play with foreign players,” where regulations in other EU countries are deemed compatible with the French system.
Such a change “requires an amendment of the law” before any plans can progress, Vilotte stated.
Shared player liquidity has been an important ongoing discussion between the regulators of key European markets.
When regulators from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal met in December, the latest in the regulators’ biannual informal meetups, it was concluded that “agreements aimed at facilitating exchanges, particularly of operators’ liquidity, could be reached,” however no explicit steps have been taken yet to further this common goal.
Spain and Italy seem the most likely to pool their players first. In July 2011, Director General of the Spanish Regulator (DGOJ) Enrique Alejo stated that a combined player pool was a real possibility in 2013.
He also stated that The French viewed the idea in “positive” light, “but have shown less willingness to act” within the time frame proposed.
The French system has a much higher tax rate than it’s European counterparts. With a 2% tax on all cash game pots—whether raked or not—it is equivalent to approximately 40% tax on gross gaming revenue, compared to 20-25% in Italy and Spain.
It forces operators to set high rake and low rewards, and goes a long way to explain the exodus of French players from cash games to tournaments.
Reworking the gaming tax system, however, was not proposed in Vilotte’s statement.