This is a picture of the exterior and front entrance of Casino Le Lyon Vert, a typical French casino hotel in La Tour-de-Salvagny, République française. Under the picture, on this page, you can read about the legal status of the various forms of France games of chance: internet lottery, digital bingo, electronic poker, sports betting, crypto wagering. There is also info about illegal gambling, betting on blood sports, the licensing system, taxation regime, and you can find a list of licensed online gambling websites, which accept French players.

France Gambling Guide (on the picture: Casino Le Lyon Vert)

Summary: Gambling is legal in France since 1907 (officially the French Republic, a rich Western European country with a population of 67.39 million, a founding member of the EU).

Online gambling is also legal since 2009 in the French Republic.

You can find a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from France by scrolling below, or click here to jump to that list:

History of Gambling in France - click to expand

Most of the main forms of gambling are legal in France, and gambling has quite the history in the country.

The Francophone gambling sector has contributed to the creation of several forms of games of chance, many of them have French names to this day, e.g.:

  • the roulette wheel was invented by the French mathematician Blaise Pascal (roulette itself is a French word meaning ‘little wheel’)
  • the original version of baccarat, chemin de fer (means railroad) also originates from the country as well
  • parimutuel betting (mutual betting), as the name suggests, also has French origins
  • and most of the words associated with betting and casinos come from the French language (e.g.: croupier, many forms of roulette bets)
  • but the biggest contribution is probably the standard 52-card deck, which was also created in France, with the Queen replacing the Nobleman in the 1500s, as an act of political propaganda of the time

 

16th century – The first written record of legal gambling in France is from 1539. Francis I. allowed the operation of the lottery “blanque” for a large fixed annual fee to be paid to the Treasury (similar to gambling licenses today, other forms of gambling were illegal officially, but underground gambling was widespread). These lottery like games were then banned, and reinstated (sometimes in rapid succession) in the subsequent centuries centuries depending on the attitude of the ruler at the time.

17th century – The first royal lottery was finally held as part of Louis XIV’s wedding celebrations (the infamous Le Roi-Soleil [Sun King] from whom the expression “L’État, c’est moi” [I am the State] comes from).

18th century – The church gets on board too. In the end of the 17th century the hospital Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon was rebuilt. Funds for the construction were collected via a lottery. This has inspired various prominent figures in the hierarchy of the Church to change their stance on gambling (e.g.: Father Ménestrier). The idea of regulating gambling instead of banning was born.

1757 – The first number lottery was born. Interestingly, the famous Casanova, was one of the original organizers.

19th century – By the decree of 24 June 1806, Napoleon introduced a ban on gambling houses. However, article 4 of the decree authorized the minister of police to make an exception for Paris, and for spa towns during the high season. this has lead to the first official gambling houses and casinos in France (before this only the nobility and the privileged could play casino and card games in private residences, and in private members’ only establishment which were above the law, e.g.: Club des Arcades).

20th century – Year-round gambling in the casinos of spa or seaside resort towns was permitted by the Act of June 15, 1907. This was the first time permanent casinos were legalized in France. This marked a new chapter in the history of gambling in the country

/Comment: And this is what I consider to be the official start of gambling in France , that’s why I choose this date among the many you have seen here./

1923 – Private gambling clubs were legalized too (this is where modern day Paris got the idea, see below).

1933 – The National Lottery was re-established (and it was replaced by Loto in 1976).

1985 – Gambling laws were modernized and revamped. The start of modern gambling and casinos in France. Additional types of games of chance were legalized.

21th century – Online gambling was partially legalized in 2009, and in 2010 internet gambling was fully legalized.

Gambling is legal in France since 1907, according to Article L.320-1 of the French Code of Homeland Security (Chapitre préliminaire: Dispositions communes  – Articles L320-1 à L320-18)1, which is the main piece of the gambling legislation.

The French gambling legislation bans all forms of wagering by default. Only exceptions are granted (these are usually narrow in scope, rigid, and multiple forms are a monopoly of the state). This is a very restrictive system, which leaves no room for innovation or great player experience.

However, despite this, the French gambling sector is quite developed, mainly due to the extremely high number of tourists (France is the most visited country in the world9) and the huge government monopolies with limitless budgets.

UPDATE: This is no longer entirely true, France privatized its lottery in 2019, therefore it is no longer operated by the government. However, the FDJ, and their private owners, still retain a monopoly on lottery. The PMU is still owned and operated by the government.

The official legal status of gambling is that it is illegal. But all the main forms of gambling have been granted exceptions over the years (see below, for a detailed breakdown of the legal status all the main forms of gambling in France, online and offline).

Operating any sort of brick and mortar gambling establishment in France requires a licence, which has strict requirements and high fees (more information about the French gambling licenses can be found below, at the France gambling licensing section).

 

Online gambling is legal in France since 2009, according to Law 2010-476 2010 (Loi no. 2010-476 du 12 mai 2010 relative à l’ouverture à la concurrence et à la régulation du secteur des jeux d’argent et de hasard en ligne)3.

Internet gambling was legalized due to pressure from the EU2 in 2009. However, most forms of online gambling were only made legal a year after, in 2010.

Despite the legalization, online casino operators can still not receive a licence in the country; online casinos remains illegal. However, offshore online casinos licensed and registered outside of France continue to accept French players and they continue to attack the legal status quo in courts, especially digital casinos licensed in other EU countries (a quick overview of the EU online gambling laws can be found below).

/Comment: The laws of France do not apply to these offshore betting companies, which are registered and licensed outside of the country. Therefore, they can legally accept French players, according to the laws of the countries in which they are registered. Additionally, internet casinos licensed in other EU countries can also accept French players due to various EU laws, even though digital casino gambling is illegal in France./

French gambling laws also apply in the overseas regions of the country, namely:

 

However, the French gambling legislation does not apply to the so called collectivities (collectivité d’outre-mer):

 

France and EU gambling laws: Because France is a member of the EU and part of the EEA, Article 56 TFEU4 and Article 8 of Directive 98/34/EC10 (often reffered to as EU gambling directives) apply to it.

These directives state that EU online gambling companies should be provided access to the French market, and a way to obtain local licences, including online casino licenses.

However, because France does not issue digital casino licenses, online gambling websites licensed in other EU countries can not be blocked or prosecuted, according to some interpretations of the EU laws. Because that would violate the free flow of services within the European Economic Area (EEA), which is very important to the EU.

Opinions are divided on this issue, and there is considerable litigation behind the scenes between the gambling companies, the French government and the EU. Verdicts vary greatly and they depend on the judges’ interpretation of the EU, EEA and local laws. Therefore, some online casinos (you can see a list of them below), which are licensed in the EU, continue to accept players from France.

/Comment: Many European countries are in a similar situation. The verdicts of the EU top court are manifold and controversial.

E.g.: Germany was in a similar situation. It did not issue online casino licenses prior to 2021, and the EU top court ruled that Germany can not block or prosecute unlicensed operators (or their German players) because they didn’t provide them with a way to obtain local online casino licenses.

UPDATE 2022: However, German authorities started issuing online casino licenses in 2021 due to pressure from the EU.

It seems like the EU’s firm stance on market liberalization and their commitment to the unified EEA is slowly emerging victorious from this drawn-out legal battle.

This is indicative that eventually France will also open up its online casino sector, due to mounting pressure./ 

As a result, French players can freely visit offshore online gambling websites (as long as they have a subsidiary, which is licensed by an EU member country), and they are not prosecuted for it.

/Comment: Nobody was ever fined or prosecuted for playing on gambling websites licensed in other EU countries, despite all the fearmongering and deliberate misinformation by certain European governments./

However, despite the EU laws discussed above, the French government does block some foreign online wagering sites since 2011 December 30, according to Decree 2011-21225, albeit illegally. Many of the blocked online gambling companies have taken action, and there are many ongoing lawsuits as a result.

This is far from a settled issue, but for now online casino licenses are not issued in France, but players can play freely in foreign online casinos (which have a licensed subsidiary in a country within the EEA)..

 

Gambling taxes and licensing fees on top of a high corporate tax rate make it difficult for online gambling operators to turn a profit in France, many have failed but the high potential return ensures there is no shortage of gambling companies willing to try.

Despite being home to 67 million relatively wealthy citizens, there are very few private French online gambling companies. And the French online gambling market is dominated by Française des Jeux, even to this day (more information about the extortionate French gambling tax regime can be found below).

Land-based gambling establishments have it a bit better, due to the really high number of tourists (an unbelievable 200 million per year, which makes France the most visited country in the world11, (you can read more about the French casino sector below).
You can find a list of online gambling websites, which accept players from France below.

 

Betting on blood sports in France

All forms of blood sports are considered animal cruelty, and are illegal in France. Betting on blood sports is also illegal.

 

FUN FACT: Johnny Depp, the multi-millionaire actor, opened his own €5 million ‘gaming club’ in Paris, the Paris Elysées Club6 (info about the other French gaming clubs and casino can be found here).

If you are interested you can take a look inside Johnny Depp’s casino by watching the video below (it’s a “private casino experience” for rich people only, membership required, and it is priced accordingly):

 

Can tourists play online while visiting France?

Yes, tourists, expats (or illegal migrants) can play online freely while enjoying their stay in the country.

 

France gambling licences

Gambling in France is not supervised by a single entity.

Betting activities have traditionally been divided between the Pari Mutuel Hippodrome (PMH) and the Pari Mutuel Urbaine (PMU).

The country’s national lottery, as well as some lottery-like games (e.g.: bingo), are regulated by the Francaise des Jeux (FDJ).

Online gambling is regulated by L’Autorité nationale des Jeux – ANJ, which replaced ARJEL (Autorité de régulation des jeux en ligne) in 2020 as the online gambling authority.

You have to contact them if you want to set up any sort of gambling establishment, or to get a French online gambling license.

Online gambling licences are issued. However, only the following three forms of digital gambling are currently permitted to be conducted by licensed private companies:

  • sports betting,
  • poker,
  • and horse racing betting.

 

UPDATE: The licensing process, fees, procedures were overhauled entirely in 2019, with the implementation of the PACTE Act. The whole process is now more business friendly, the fees are lower, and it is streamlined. The document, which lists all the changes and has information about the gambling licencing process, fees and requirements can be found here7.

 

Free advertisement for licensed local lawyers, law firms from this country

Get featured on this website, here, just right under the taxation section. Advertise your services, get a link to your own website, or the law firm's website you work for, on a page that is visited by businessmen, company representatives looking for help with: setting up a gambling business, licensing, setting up a company, help with an existing gambling business, consulting etc....
And all this for free. Click on the drop down section if you are interested and want to get listed.

How to get featured

In order to get the free placement you must have a website (social media profile is not enough). Here is what you have to do:
  • send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
  • send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
  • send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)

The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

France gambling taxation

Gambling tax rates are extremely high in France.

These high taxes keep the number of gambling establishment down, and it forces several operators out of business regularly (but new ones take their place, and the number of licensed casinos venues stagnate at around 200, since 20138).

The French tax system is progressive* and it’s also very complicated. It’s probably the worst gambling tax regime in the entire world. You can see it below.

*Progressive tax definition: The tax rate depends on the revenue, there is no flat tax rate, the more a company earns the more tax they pay. Progressive taxation discourages growth.

France gambling tax rates
Activity: Rate: Tax Base:
Casino tax Casinos have to pay 28% tax in the first round + then the following progressive tax rate is applied to the remaining revenue in the second round of taxation, based on their annual gross gaming revenue:

  • Up to EUR 100,000: 6%
  • EUR 100,001 and EUR 200,000: 16%
  • EUR 200,001 and EUR 500,000: 25%
  • EUR 500,001 and EUR 1 million: 37%
  • EUR 1,000,001 and EUR 1.5 million: 47%
  • EUR 1,500,001 and EUR 4.7 million: 58%
  • EUR 4,700,001 and EUR 7.8 million: 63.3%
  • EUR 7,800,001 and EUR 11 million: 67.6%
  • EUR 11,000,001 and EUR 14 million: 72%
  • EUR 14 million: 83.5%
gross gaming revenue
Gaming club tax Gaming clubs (special type of casino, VIP, entrance fee, dress code) have to pay the following:

  • 10% of revenue, up to EUR 100,000
  • 30% of revenue, EUR 100,000 – EUR 1,500,000
  • 40% of revenue, EUR 1,500,000 – EUR 2,600,000
  • 55% of revenue, EUR 2,600,000 – EUR 5,500,000
  • 70% of revenue, above EUR 5,500,000
gross gaming revenue
Slot machine tax 11.2% tax is paid on 68% of the gross gambling revenue from slot machines. gross gambling revenue from slot machines.
Horse racing tax 37.7% gross gambling revenue
Online poker tax 40.8% gross gambling revenue
Sports betting tax 44.5% gross gambling revenue
Online sports betting tax 55.2% gross gambling revenue
Lottery tax 54.5% gross gambling revenue
Online lottery tax 54.5% gross gambling revenue
Lottery-like games 42% gross gambling revenue
Online lottery-like games (e.g.: bingo, keno, raffles, scratch cards) 42% gross gambling revenue
Withholding tax (comment: this incentivises gambling companies to make players lose as much as possible, very bad practice, luckily very few countries implement withholding taxes on players’ winnings, like this) 13.7% players’ winnings

 

As you can see French tax rates are incredibly high, the highest gambling tax rates in all of Europe, and most likely in the world as well. No wonder that despite the size, affluence, and the number of tourists the country still has relatively few and small casinos.

/Comment: With a more fair taxation system France could easily rival any of the big gambling destinations (e.g.: Macau, Las Vegas)./

Gambling taxes are payable in addition to licensing fees and regular taxes (e.g.: corporate tax, which is 31% in France), according to the French tax laws.

 

For players, taxation of gambling winnings in France: 13.7%

Gambling winnings over €1500 are taxable, at a rate of 13.7%.

The licensed domestic gambling companies are required to pay taxes on the players’ winnings (withholding tax, it’s automatically deducted), not the players. Therefore, players don’t have to pay additional taxes on their winnings after this deduction, as long as their winnings come from licensed legally operating venues and websites.

 

Free advertisement for local accountants, CPAs and accounting firms from this country

Get featured on this website, here, just right under the taxation section. Advertise your services, get a link to your own website, or the accounting firm's website you work for, on a page that is visited by gamblers looking for help with their gambling winnings, and gambling companies looking for consultants and help with their projects.
And all this for free. Click on the drop down section if you are interested and want to get listed.

How to get featured

In order to get the free advertisement you must have a website (social media profile is not enough). Here is what you have to do:
  • send me a link to your website, or your employer's website
  • send me 1-2 sentences about you and/or your business etc.., something that describes the business, what you do, something that makes potential clients interested
  • send me one single picture of your company's logo, or a picture of your office, or one of your certificates, credentials which you are proud of etc... (but don't send a picture of yourself, for legal reasons I want to avoid uploading pictures of people)

The picture must be 150x150 pixels.
Contact me through the live chat, it's in the bottom right corner of the website, or in the comments section at the bottom of this page, with a link to the website you wish to advertise. If you qualify, I will give you my email address where we can discuss everything (I won't be putting my email address on the page, due to the extreme amount of spam I receive as it is).
In exchange: In order to appear for free on this website, you have to link back to this guide, from your website. It must be your website, your employer's website, a law blog or something similar. The link doesn't have to be in a prominent position, or on the homepage. It can be placed at the bottom of an unimportant page, where people don't see it, that's fine with me. And 1 sentence is enough, something like this: "We are featured on Simon's Gambling and Casino Blog, at <link here>."
That's all, if you are interested, get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Legal gambling age in France: 18+ (was lowered from 21+ in 1987, charity lotteries, funfair games, traditional French bingo and sweepstakes are an exception, no set gambling age in those cases)

 

Other:

Virtual sports betting and fantasy football are illegal in France. It is not permitted.

Social gambling is not regulated in France.

Loot boxes, or similar digital gambling like activities with virtual goods are not regulated in France.

 

Sources, and main pieces of the French gambling legislation:

1Legifrance – L.320-1 of the French Code of Homeland Security (Chapitre préliminaire : Dispositions communes  – Articles L320-1 à L320-18)

2European Commission – On-line gambling: Commission welcomes France’s decision to open its gambling market and closes infringement procedure

32010-476 du 12 mai 2010 relative à l’ouverture à la concurrence et à la régulation du secteur des jeux d’argent et de hasard en ligne

4JSTOR – Freedom to provide services — Article 56 TFEU — Games of chance

5EURLex – Decree 2011-2122 of 30 December 2011

6Thelocal.fr – The Paris opens doors to first ever ‘gaming club’

7Whitecase – PACTE Act (action plan for the growth and transformation of companies)

8Statista – Number of casinos in France 2013 – 2017

9Government of France – Tourism Office

10EUR Lex – Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament

11The World Bank – International tourism, number of arrivals – France

 

List of online gambling sites, which accept players from France

The following online gambling websites accept players from France. They all accept players from the country, and are accessible from within the country, at the time of writing. If they no longer accept players from France, or if they are blocked for some reason, please leave a message in the comments section, so I can investigate it.

 

Fair Go Aussie Themed Casino

This is a banner of Fair Go internet casino website's current 2022 promotions, bonuses. FairGo is an Australian ("Aussie") themed casino, which accepts players from Australia and New Zealand. The picture also act as a link, by clicking on it you will be taken to the free to play area of the digital gambling website, where you can try out their games for free without spending any money, and you can register a real player account if you are 18 or older. Terms and conditions and requirements can be seen below the banner and on the casino's website.

FairGo - click to check out the digital casino, latest promotions, offers, hundreds of pokies, Aussie players welcome

Promotions:
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Only one bonus can be active at a time. North American players are accepted at the casino. FairGo Casino does not accept players from: Moldova, Israel, UK. You can read the full review of Fair Go casino here.

Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations

Disclaimer: The casinos is not actually an Australian online casino, the company is not registered in Australia, it's only "Aussie" themed.
All bonuses, free spins, and other promotional offer are subject to the following wagering limitations and playthrough requirements. Although, we strive to update this  section often, it's best if you check the company's website for the latest and up to date bonus terms and conditions (they change it quite often, with every new bonus, it's possible we have missed something, or it's no longer up to date). Terms and conditions of every bonus and promotion:
  • Players from the following countries do not qualify for any bonuses: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan.
  • Only one bonus can be active at a time.
  • Only real money players, who completed the registration are eligible for a bonus.
  • No deposit bonuses hold a maximum cash out limit which is 5x the bonus amount unless otherwise specified.

Playthrough requirement:
  • The deposit bonus amount must be wagered 60 times before withdrawal, unless otherwise stated.

Wagering requirement contributions: The following table show the contribution of the various types of games towards the fulfillment of the wagering requirement.
Game types: Contribution:
Slots (a.k.a. Pokies) 100%
All types of Blackjack, Video Poker, Craps, American Roulette, Baccarat and other table games and non-pokies games 0%

Mr Bit Casino and Sportsbook

This is a banner displaying the various bonus offers of Mr Bit casino. On this page, right under the banner, you can read about the latest 2023 promotions, free spins and their terms and conditions, playthrough requirements, wagering limitations. This is an advertisement, by clicking on the banner you will be taken to website of Mr. Bit, where you can register an account and place bets with real money provided you are from a jurisdiction, where online casinos are legal. Full disclaimer: by registering an account we (the website owners and/or employees) will receive a small percentage of the amount of money you deposited, self exclusion from the casino website is possible. Players must be 18+. All the details can be found below.

Mr. Bit casino & bookmaker, current 2023 bonus offers, welcome bonus, free spins and offers for returning players, 18+

  • 100% welcome bonus Up To €500 + 50 Free Spins
  • Free spins every day for returning players
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You can read the full review of Mr Bit casino here.

USA, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Italy and UK players are not accepted (+ 13 other countries). Full list of banned countries can be found below.

Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries

All bonuses, free spins, and other promotional offer are subject to the following wagering limitations and playthrough requirements. Although, we strive to update this  section often, it's best if you check the company's website for the latest and up to date bonus terms and conditions (they change it quite often, with every new bonus, it's possible we have missed something, or it's no longer up to date by the time you are reading this).


General bonus terms and conditions at Mr. Bit and its sister sites:

  • welcome bonuses are only available for 30 days after account creation
  • the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
  • the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation

 


Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 27x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 27 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal.


Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus:

  • Minimum deposit amount: €10
  • Maximum bonus amount: €500
  • Wagering requirements: x27 (deposit + bonus)

In case of the free spins:

  • Participating slots: Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
  • Bet per spin: €0,10
  • Wagering requirements: x30 (bonus)
  • Limit on withdrawing from the free spins: x10
  • 7 days for wagering

Wagering limitation:

  • 7 days for wagering
  • Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
  • Please note that the free spins will appear on the account, once the 150% bonus has been wagered. Your players will get 10 free spins per day over the course of 5 days (50 free spins in total).

UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.


Mr Bit Casino does not accept players from:

 

Summary:

 

Casino gambling in France

Casinos in France: legal since 1907, operators require a licence

Online casino gambling in France: officially illegal, but players can play online freely on EU licensed online casinos due to EU laws Article 56 TFEU and Article 8 of Directive 98/34/EC

 

Casinos are legal in France since 1907 (except in Paris, where they are banned since 1920).

Casinos must be attached to “sea, thermal, climatic and tourist resorts and on certain ships” according to the French casino law.

Despite the crushing casino taxes there is an abundance of casino venues, mostly due the high number of tourists (France is the most visited country in the world).

There are 200 licensed casinos, although most of these gambling establishments are barely more than just slot halls. There are not that many bigger casinos in France due to the high taxes (mentioned above in the gambling taxation section) and the transient nature of the main target group.

/Comment: This means that tourists rarely go back to visit France again just for the casinos, and that’s not why they come in the first place. Therefore, there is no point in investing into the casino sections of the hotel-spa-resort complexes. Even a small casino is good enough for the “oh honey, look, they have a casino, let’s check it out” tourists./

Despite this, there are a few bigger casinos located within landmark buildings in France, these are tourist attractions in their own right.

You can read more about the casino sector of France, and you can find a list of all brick & mortar casino venues here, with info about the address, number and types of games, entrance fee, dress code, and with a video of each one etc…

UPDATE COVID-19: The coronavirus pandemic compounded the problems of the French casino sector. Especially, considering the French casino sector’s historic reliance on tourists. Unsurprisingly, it has resulted in a number of closures. Although, none of the bigger casinos have closed as a result.

Slot halls are not legal in France. However, there are two types of casinos, these are:

Types of casinos in France
Gaming clubs: Must be owned by a non-profit company, or it must be located in Paris.

Types of games that can be played::

  • chemin de fer;
  • limited bank baccarat on two tables;
  • open bank baccarat on two tables;
  • the écarté;
  • Texas Hold’em poker;
  • Omaha poker 4 high;
  • bingo.
Casinos: Needs casino licence, can not be located in Paris. It must be attached to a sea, thermal, climatic and tourist resorts or they must be located on cruise ships.

Types of games that can be played:

  • gaming machines;
  • the boule;
  • the twenty-three;
  • French roulette;
  • American roulette;
  • English roulette;
  • thirty-forty;
  • blackjack;
  • craps;
  • punto banco;
  • Casino Hold’em poker;
  • casino stud poker;
  • Casino war;
  • wheel of fortune;
  • Ultimate poker;
  • Three card poker;
  • rampo;
  • Sic- bo;
  • chemin de fer;
  • limited bank baccarat on two tables;
  • open bank baccarat on two tables;
  • the écarté;
  • Texas Hold’em poker;
  • Omaha poker 4 high;
  • bingo.

Online casinos are officially illegal. Digital casino licenses are not issued by the ANJ.

The reason for this is that online casino games are thought to be more addictive than other forms of gambling, especially slot machines.

/Comment: Despite this, land based casinos are allowed to have slots./

Because there are no local, licensed alternatives, players from France can only turn to foreign online casinos, which would be illegal.

However, there is a loophole EU licensed online casinos (or online casinos with subsidiaries licensed in any of the EU member states, you can see a list of them below) are exempt of this digital casino ban due to various laws of the European Economic Area.

EU gambling laws dictate, that according to Freedom to provide services – Article 56 TFEU: if a country does not provide any means for foreign online casinos to acquire local licenses, then they can not punish or block these gambling websites or the players, who visit them.

Despite this very few online casinos still accept players from France (you can see them below), because despite they are legally in the right, French authorities are not above leveraging their influence and connections to make the lives of dissenting online gambling companies very difficult. Therefore most are willingly comply.

Despite this, players themselves are not prosecuted for playing on EU licensed online casinos. French players can play freely online.

UDPATE 2022: We came across a court case while researching the German online casino gambling sector, this summarizes the stance of the EU top court perfectly:

According to the official ruling (C‑336/14*), licensed online casinos (with a licence from any of the EU countries) can accept players from any other EU country as well, even if they don’t have a local license, if those jurisdictions make it impossible for them to acquire a local licence, due to the EEA.

Online casinos, which accept players from France - click to see

The following online casino websites accept players from France:

 

Fair Go Aussie Themed Casino

This is a banner of Fair Go internet casino website's current 2022 promotions, bonuses. FairGo is an Australian ("Aussie") themed casino, which accepts players from Australia and New Zealand. The picture also act as a link, by clicking on it you will be taken to the free to play area of the digital gambling website, where you can try out their games for free without spending any money, and you can register a real player account if you are 18 or older. Terms and conditions and requirements can be seen below the banner and on the casino's website.

FairGo - click to check out the digital casino, latest promotions, offers, hundreds of pokies, Aussie players welcome

Promotions:
  • 100% welcome bonus up to $200, on your first 5 deposits (total $500), coupon code: WELCOME
  • 100 free spins with code: DOD-GOW (limited time only, please let me know when the code expires)
  • 150% bonus and 50 spins on the new slot Lil Red ($20 minimum deposit requirement), coupon code: LILRED150, or on the slot Hyperwins, bonus code: GETHYPED
  • Special Neosurf bonus, deposit using Neosurf and get a 200% welcome bonus (only once per player), promo code: 200-NEO

Only one bonus can be active at a time. North American players are accepted at the casino. FairGo Casino does not accept players from: Moldova, Israel, UK. You can read the full review of Fair Go casino here.

Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations

Disclaimer: The casinos is not actually an Australian online casino, the company is not registered in Australia, it's only "Aussie" themed.
All bonuses, free spins, and other promotional offer are subject to the following wagering limitations and playthrough requirements. Although, we strive to update this  section often, it's best if you check the company's website for the latest and up to date bonus terms and conditions (they change it quite often, with every new bonus, it's possible we have missed something, or it's no longer up to date). Terms and conditions of every bonus and promotion:
  • Players from the following countries do not qualify for any bonuses: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan.
  • Only one bonus can be active at a time.
  • Only real money players, who completed the registration are eligible for a bonus.
  • No deposit bonuses hold a maximum cash out limit which is 5x the bonus amount unless otherwise specified.

Playthrough requirement:
  • The deposit bonus amount must be wagered 60 times before withdrawal, unless otherwise stated.

Wagering requirement contributions: The following table show the contribution of the various types of games towards the fulfillment of the wagering requirement.
Game types: Contribution:
Slots (a.k.a. Pokies) 100%
All types of Blackjack, Video Poker, Craps, American Roulette, Baccarat and other table games and non-pokies games 0%

Mr Bit Casino and Sportsbook

This is a banner displaying the various bonus offers of Mr Bit casino. On this page, right under the banner, you can read about the latest 2023 promotions, free spins and their terms and conditions, playthrough requirements, wagering limitations. This is an advertisement, by clicking on the banner you will be taken to website of Mr. Bit, where you can register an account and place bets with real money provided you are from a jurisdiction, where online casinos are legal. Full disclaimer: by registering an account we (the website owners and/or employees) will receive a small percentage of the amount of money you deposited, self exclusion from the casino website is possible. Players must be 18+. All the details can be found below.

Mr. Bit casino & bookmaker, current 2023 bonus offers, welcome bonus, free spins and offers for returning players, 18+

  • 100% welcome bonus Up To €500 + 50 Free Spins
  • Free spins every day for returning players
  • 33% reload bonus for returning players

You can read the full review of Mr Bit casino here.

USA, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Italy and UK players are not accepted (+ 13 other countries). Full list of banned countries can be found below.

Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries

All bonuses, free spins, and other promotional offer are subject to the following wagering limitations and playthrough requirements. Although, we strive to update this  section often, it's best if you check the company's website for the latest and up to date bonus terms and conditions (they change it quite often, with every new bonus, it's possible we have missed something, or it's no longer up to date by the time you are reading this).


General bonus terms and conditions at Mr. Bit and its sister sites:

  • welcome bonuses are only available for 30 days after account creation
  • the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
  • the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation

 


Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 27x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 27 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal.


Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus:

  • Minimum deposit amount: €10
  • Maximum bonus amount: €500
  • Wagering requirements: x27 (deposit + bonus)

In case of the free spins:

  • Participating slots: Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
  • Bet per spin: €0,10
  • Wagering requirements: x30 (bonus)
  • Limit on withdrawing from the free spins: x10
  • 7 days for wagering

Wagering limitation:

  • 7 days for wagering
  • Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
  • Please note that the free spins will appear on the account, once the 150% bonus has been wagered. Your players will get 10 free spins per day over the course of 5 days (50 free spins in total).

UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.


Mr Bit Casino does not accept players from:

 

Click here for more info on casinos in France.

Source:*An example court case, Germany versus unlicensed operator, revolves around Article 56 TFEU and Article 8 of Directive 98/34/EC

 

Bingo in France

Bingo halls in France: legal, operators require a licence

Online bingo in France: legal since 2009, monopoly of FDJ (Française des Jeux)

 

Bingo is legal in France.

Bingo is considered a casino game in France, therefore it is restricted to the licensed casino venues. Therefore, there are no standalone bingo halls in France.

The only exceptions to this are: traditional French bingo (poules au gibier) played at fairs and bingo for charitable purposes.

Interesting fact: bingo was considered a form of lottery in France in the 17th century, when bingo first popped up in the country, it was called “Le Lotto” back then.

/Comment: Bingo is still considered a form of lottery in most countries in the world./

Online bingo is also legal.

However, online bingo websites can not get a licence. It is the monopoly of the French lottery company FDJ, which operates the only French online bingo platform (12 different types of bingo are available on the platforms of the FDJ, with the brand name: liveBINGO).

These laws are strictly enforced within France. Illegal bingo organizers, which try to circumvent these bingo laws are prosecuted to the full extent of the law (e.g.: an illegal French bingo network was busted in 2021, more info can be found in the sources below*).

However, players are not prosecuted for playing bingo online on illegal websites (e.g.: during the recent online bingo scandal none of the players were fined or prosecuted, only the organizers were targeted).

The following bingo websites accept players from France.

Online bingo websites, which accept players from France - click to see

The following bingo websites have live bingo and accept players from France.

It is a monopoly of the FDJ.

Source: *La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées – Fin de partie pour la folie du loto à la maison

 

Poker in France

Poker halls in France: legal since 1907, operators require a licence

Online poker in France: legal since 2017, operators require a licence

 

Poker is legal in France since 1907.

Poker hall licenses are not issued, therefore there aren’t any standalone poker clubs in France.

However, poker can be played in casinos and licensed gaming clubs (a special type of casino with more restrictions placed on the operator, details can be found in the casino gambling section above).

Even though non-banking poker is partially a game of skill, and as a result it is not regulated as a game of luck in some countries, in France poker is strictly game of chance.

Live poker games, cash games and tournaments take place in most of the bigger brick and mortar casinos and gaming clubs.

One of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the country, the French Open takes place regularly at the Casino Barrière.

Video poker machines are legal as well, they can only be placed in casinos.

Online poker has been legal in France since 2017.

There are currently 15 gambling operators licensed to provide online poker services within the country. UPDATE 2022: There are only 12 French online poker companies, many went out of business because of the extremely high gambling tax rates.

Despite the game’s popularity, the French online poker market has been struggling since its inception. The main reason for this are the high taxes and that the market is “fenced off”* from the online poker players of other countries, thereby dramatically reducing the player base*.

*Expiation of what “fenced off” means: This means that poker players from France can not play against players from other countries if they play on any of the licensed, domestic French poker sites.

This is why to this day most French poker players prefer the bigger international poker websites, even though it’s technically illegal to use those poker sites (players are not prosecuted).

Very few of the big international poker sites accept players from France, because the French government keeps suing them (it’s illegal for unlicensed companies to accept French players after all, even if the players are not prosecuted).

The only exception are, as mentioned already above, digital poker platforms licensed in other EU countries, which can accept players from France because of a legal loophole.

When it comes to poker there some additional limitations as well:

Types of poker that can be played according to the gambling legislation:
In French land-based casinos:
  • Casino Hold’em poker.
  • Casino stud poker.
  • Texas hold’em poker.
  • Omaha poker 4 high.
  • Ultimate poker.
  • Three card poker.
On licensed French online poker platforms:
  • Texas Hold’em limit.
  • Texas Hold’em pot limit.
  • Texas Hold’em no limit.
  • Omaha 4 high pot limit.
  • Omaha 4 High/Low limit.
  • Omaha 4 High/Low pot limit.
  • Omaha Poker 5 High pot limit
  • Seven Card Stud Poker High limit
  • Seven Card Stud Poker High/Low limit
  • Seven Card Stud Poker Razz (or Low) limit
  • Triple draw deuce to seven (2-7) Lowball (or Low) limit

 

The online poker sites below accept players from France.

Online poker sites which accept players from France - click to see

The following online casinos have a poker section and accept players from France:

Currently, none of the poker websites that I use accept French players so I can’t recommend any.

I don’t know of any that would accept French players, because of the way how online poker works (there only a few poker networks, they dictate who can play or not, not the online casinos, they only host the network, and right now none of the bigger poker networks accept French players).

I don’t use any of the French poker sites, and I don’t intend to as long as they don’t allow international player pooling. I also don’t recommend them for this reason (also, because of the high taxes they have really bad bonuses, if any, rakes are really high, limited types of games, it’s just bad, they don’t have good reviews).

*Source: Report: More Declines for the French Online Poker Industry During Q3 2015 (pokernews)

 

Sports betting in France

Bookmakers, betting shops in France: legal since 1907, monopoly of the FDJ and the PMU since 1933

Online sports betting in France: legal, operators require a licence

 

Sports betting is legal in France since 1907.

It is the monopoly of FDJ (Française des Jeux) since its creation in 1933.

Horse racing betting is the monopoly of the PMU (Pari Mutuel Urbain). Unlike the FDJ, the PMU was not yet privatized.

Infesting fact: Parimutuel betting, where the bets are pooled and then divided among the winners in accordance with the calculated odds, actually originates in France.

The largest sports betting company in France is the state owned PMU, which traditionally only offered horse racing betting, but has since branched out into other sports as well, and it now France’s biggest bookmaker.

The PMU also has agreements with many gambling companies in the French overseas territories and in francophone Africa, which allows bettors from these countries to place bets on French horse races and on other sports by making use of the PMU’s established network and infrastructure. This has contributed significantly to the success of the PMU as a bookmaker.

Online sports betting is also legal in France.

However, online sports betting is not the monopoly of the FDJ and PMU. Private sportsbooks can also apply for a digital sports betting licence.

/Comment: This system was copied by EU member Hungary, where brick & mortar sports betting is similarly a monopoly of the Hungarian lottery monopoly Szerencsejáték Zrt., but online sports betting licences are issued since 2021./

The online sportsbooks below accept registrations from France.

Online bookmakers, which accept punters from France - click to see

The following online sportsbooks accept bettors from France:

Mr Bit Casino and Sportsbook

This is a banner displaying the various bonus offers of Mr Bit casino. On this page, right under the banner, you can read about the latest 2023 promotions, free spins and their terms and conditions, playthrough requirements, wagering limitations. This is an advertisement, by clicking on the banner you will be taken to website of Mr. Bit, where you can register an account and place bets with real money provided you are from a jurisdiction, where online casinos are legal. Full disclaimer: by registering an account we (the website owners and/or employees) will receive a small percentage of the amount of money you deposited, self exclusion from the casino website is possible. Players must be 18+. All the details can be found below.

Mr. Bit casino & bookmaker, current 2023 bonus offers, welcome bonus, free spins and offers for returning players, 18+

  • 100% welcome bonus Up To €500 + 50 Free Spins
  • Free spins every day for returning players
  • 33% reload bonus for returning players

You can read the full review of Mr Bit casino here.

USA, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Italy and UK players are not accepted (+ 13 other countries). Full list of banned countries can be found below.

Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries

All bonuses, free spins, and other promotional offer are subject to the following wagering limitations and playthrough requirements. Although, we strive to update this  section often, it's best if you check the company's website for the latest and up to date bonus terms and conditions (they change it quite often, with every new bonus, it's possible we have missed something, or it's no longer up to date by the time you are reading this).


General bonus terms and conditions at Mr. Bit and its sister sites:

  • welcome bonuses are only available for 30 days after account creation
  • the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
  • the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation

 


Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 27x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 27 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal.


Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus:

  • Minimum deposit amount: €10
  • Maximum bonus amount: €500
  • Wagering requirements: x27 (deposit + bonus)

In case of the free spins:

  • Participating slots: Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
  • Bet per spin: €0,10
  • Wagering requirements: x30 (bonus)
  • Limit on withdrawing from the free spins: x10
  • 7 days for wagering

Wagering limitation:

  • 7 days for wagering
  • Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
  • Please note that the free spins will appear on the account, once the 150% bonus has been wagered. Your players will get 10 free spins per day over the course of 5 days (50 free spins in total).

UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.


Mr Bit Casino does not accept players from:

 

Lottery in France

Lottery in France: legal since 1933, monopoly of the FDJ

Online lottery in France: legal, monopoly of the FDJ

 

Lottery is legal in France since 1933.

Lottery and lottery-like games (e.g.: keno, scratch cards, pull tabs etc…) are the monopoly of FDJ (Française des Jeux), the French national lottery.

The French lottery was majority state-owned, just like most of the European national lotteries, until 2019, when it was privatized, in an effort to comply with the agreed upon liberalization of the gambling markets within the European Economic Area.

/Comment: This means that even though in Europe the lottery sector is dominated by government-backed and often state-owned lottery monopolies, all members of the EEA agreed that at an unspecified time, they will dismantle and privatize their lottery monopolies.

This was France’s attempt at fulfilling this promise, the only EU country to even attempt it so far (although the FDJ still retains a monopoly on lottery, and it is still partially owned by the French state, they remain minority owners)./

Interesting fact: The FDJ was also the co-founder of the European pooled lottery EuroMillions, along with the Spanish Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and UK’s Camelot, the three biggest lottery companies in Europe.

Online lottery is also legal in France and it is also a monopoly of the FDJ.

All of FDJ’s games are available online, including digital scratchcards, bingo, instant games and keno.

According to the French lottery law, locals can not buy lottery tickets from foreign online lotteries, that is considered illegal.

However, French citizens can participate in foreign lottery draws, in person, as tourists visiting other countries, or online, from so called “lottery purchasing services”*.

*Lottery purchasing service explanation: Lottery purchasing services are businesses, which purchase physical lottery tickets for you in a foreign country, if you make a purchase on their website (you can see an example of such a website below).

Apart from the FDJ the following websites allow people from France to purchase lottery tickets online.

Online lottery platforms, which accept players from France - click to see

The following internet lottery sites allow players from France to purchase lottery tickets online:

There aren't any online lottery sites, which would accept players from the country. Because online lottery is either illegal or a monopoly of the state-owned national lottery of the country (you can read the details above).

 

Bitcoin gambling in France

Cryptocurrency wagering in France: illegal, players are not prosecuted

 

Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies themselves are legal in France.

France’s Financial Markets Authority, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) accepted the Pacte Bill in 2019 making it possible to create a bitcoin trading and exchange company in France*. This legitimized the use of cryptocurrencies in the French business sector (it was possible to do it even prior to this, and there was some adaptation on the smaller levels, but French big business tended to avoid digital currencies).

However, bitcoin gambling (placing bets via virtual currencies) is illegal**, according to the National Gaming Authority (ANJ):

“The use of cryptocurrencies is forbidden on the websites of authorized operators who are obligated to combat fraud, money laundering, and terrorism financing”

In short: France licensed online gambling businesses can not accept bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, ripple or any other cryptocurrency due to strict anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing laws.

Many of the big bitcoin, litecoin and ethereum casinos are blocked by the French internet service providers (ISPs). However, players who place bets on these offshore platforms are not actually prosecuted, only the companies operating these websites are targeted (and only if they operate out of France, or if they are licensed by the ANJ, foreign bitcoin gambling websites can not be targeted by the French authorities due to the limitations of French law).

However, there is a loophole, as mentioned previously, online gambling websites licensed by other EU countries do still accept French players occasionally, and these gambling websites do also sometimes accept bitcoin and other crypto coins. This is the only legal way for French citizens to place bets on crypto gambling platforms at the moment.

The following bitcoin casinos below accept players from France.

Online casinos, which accept crypto and players from France - click to see

The following online casino websites accept bitcoin, litecoin and ethereum, and accept players from France:

Fair Go Aussie Themed Casino

This is a banner of Fair Go internet casino website's current 2022 promotions, bonuses. FairGo is an Australian ("Aussie") themed casino, which accepts players from Australia and New Zealand. The picture also act as a link, by clicking on it you will be taken to the free to play area of the digital gambling website, where you can try out their games for free without spending any money, and you can register a real player account if you are 18 or older. Terms and conditions and requirements can be seen below the banner and on the casino's website.

FairGo - click to check out the digital casino, latest promotions, offers, hundreds of pokies, Aussie players welcome

Promotions:
  • 100% welcome bonus up to $200, on your first 5 deposits (total $500), coupon code: WELCOME
  • 100 free spins with code: DOD-GOW (limited time only, please let me know when the code expires)
  • 150% bonus and 50 spins on the new slot Lil Red ($20 minimum deposit requirement), coupon code: LILRED150, or on the slot Hyperwins, bonus code: GETHYPED
  • Special Neosurf bonus, deposit using Neosurf and get a 200% welcome bonus (only once per player), promo code: 200-NEO

Only one bonus can be active at a time. North American players are accepted at the casino. FairGo Casino does not accept players from: Moldova, Israel, UK. You can read the full review of Fair Go casino here.

Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations

Disclaimer: The casinos is not actually an Australian online casino, the company is not registered in Australia, it's only "Aussie" themed.
All bonuses, free spins, and other promotional offer are subject to the following wagering limitations and playthrough requirements. Although, we strive to update this  section often, it's best if you check the company's website for the latest and up to date bonus terms and conditions (they change it quite often, with every new bonus, it's possible we have missed something, or it's no longer up to date). Terms and conditions of every bonus and promotion:
  • Players from the following countries do not qualify for any bonuses: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan.
  • Only one bonus can be active at a time.
  • Only real money players, who completed the registration are eligible for a bonus.
  • No deposit bonuses hold a maximum cash out limit which is 5x the bonus amount unless otherwise specified.

Playthrough requirement:
  • The deposit bonus amount must be wagered 60 times before withdrawal, unless otherwise stated.

Wagering requirement contributions: The following table show the contribution of the various types of games towards the fulfillment of the wagering requirement.
Game types: Contribution:
Slots (a.k.a. Pokies) 100%
All types of Blackjack, Video Poker, Craps, American Roulette, Baccarat and other table games and non-pokies games 0%

Mr Bit Casino and Sportsbook

This is a banner displaying the various bonus offers of Mr Bit casino. On this page, right under the banner, you can read about the latest 2023 promotions, free spins and their terms and conditions, playthrough requirements, wagering limitations. This is an advertisement, by clicking on the banner you will be taken to website of Mr. Bit, where you can register an account and place bets with real money provided you are from a jurisdiction, where online casinos are legal. Full disclaimer: by registering an account we (the website owners and/or employees) will receive a small percentage of the amount of money you deposited, self exclusion from the casino website is possible. Players must be 18+. All the details can be found below.

Mr. Bit casino & bookmaker, current 2023 bonus offers, welcome bonus, free spins and offers for returning players, 18+

  • 100% welcome bonus Up To €500 + 50 Free Spins
  • Free spins every day for returning players
  • 33% reload bonus for returning players

You can read the full review of Mr Bit casino here.

USA, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Italy and UK players are not accepted (+ 13 other countries). Full list of banned countries can be found below.

Playthrough requirements, wagering limitations, terms and conditions and list of restricted countries

All bonuses, free spins, and other promotional offer are subject to the following wagering limitations and playthrough requirements. Although, we strive to update this  section often, it's best if you check the company's website for the latest and up to date bonus terms and conditions (they change it quite often, with every new bonus, it's possible we have missed something, or it's no longer up to date by the time you are reading this).


General bonus terms and conditions at Mr. Bit and its sister sites:

  • welcome bonuses are only available for 30 days after account creation
  • the minimum deposit to receive any bonus is €10
  • the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered within 7 days from date of activation

 


Playthrough requirement of the welcome bonus: 27x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 27 times before withdrawal. Playthrough requirement of the free spins: 30x, the deposit bonus amount must be wagered 30 times before withdrawal.


Playthrough requirement: No playthrough requirement for the extra weekly money. In case of the welcome bonus:

  • Minimum deposit amount: €10
  • Maximum bonus amount: €500
  • Wagering requirements: x27 (deposit + bonus)

In case of the free spins:

  • Participating slots: Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
  • Bet per spin: €0,10
  • Wagering requirements: x30 (bonus)
  • Limit on withdrawing from the free spins: x10
  • 7 days for wagering

Wagering limitation:

  • 7 days for wagering
  • Player from certain countries are not allowed use bonuses due to regular bonus abuse, check the casino's website for the ever changing up to date list.
  • Please note that the free spins will appear on the account, once the 150% bonus has been wagered. Your players will get 10 free spins per day over the course of 5 days (50 free spins in total).

UPDATE COVID-19: The online casino does not use the global pandemic situation for advertisement purposes, or to encourage the usage of its online gambling platform. In fact, it's forbidden to use the namesake, name, likeness and official logo or any depiction of the casino/company (and this casino gambling blog) in conjunction with any marketing campaign, which uses the novel coronavirus pandemic for promotion.


Mr Bit Casino does not accept players from:

Sources:

 

If you have questions, or any feedback, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. Please let me know in the comments section if you think we might have gotten something wrong, or if you have additional information, clarification, about the legal status of online gambling in this country. Especially if you are from France or nearby.

 

FAQ – frequently asked questions about France internet gambling platforms

 

FAQ section

The following are some of the frequently asked questions about gambling in France. Click on the dropdown menu below to see the questions and answers.

Q&A

Is gambling legal in France?

Yes, gambling is legal in France since 1907, according to Article L.320-1 of the French Code of Homeland Security (Chapitre préliminaire: Dispositions communes - Articles L320-1 à L320-18).

Is online gambling legal in France?

Yes, online gambling is legal in France since 2009, according to Law 2010-476 2010 (Loi no. 2010-476 du 12 mai 2010 relative à l'ouverture à la concurrence et à la régulation du secteur des jeux d'argent et de hasard en ligne).

Is online bingo legal in France?

Yes, online bingo is legal in France, it is a monopoly of the FDJ.

Is online poker legal in France?

Yes, online poker is legal in France.

Is online sports betting legal in France?

Yes, online sports betting is legal in France since 2010. It is a monopoly of FDJ (Française des Jeux) and horse racing betting is the monopoly of PMU (Pari Mutuel Urbain).

Is online lottery legal in France?

Yes, online lottery is legal in France since 2009. It is a monopoly of the FDJ (Française des Jeux).

Is bitcoin wagering legal in France?

Cryptocurrencies themselves are legal in France. However, cryptocurrency wagering itself is illegal.

Can you play online from France

Yes, you can play online from France on France licensed online gambling websites, which have an internet gambling licence from the L'Autorité nationale des Jeux (ANJ). You can see a list of such platforms on this page. Additionally, internet wagering platforms licensed in other EU countries also do accept French players legally due to complicated EEA laws (which are explained on this page).

Can you play bingo over the internet in France?

Yes, you can play bingo over the internet from France. You can see a list of digital bingo platforms, which accept players from the country at the France bingo section above.

Can you play poker online from France?

Yes, you can play poker over the internet from France, on licensed poker networks or apps. You can see a list of them on this page.

Can you bet on sports online from France?

Yes, you can place bets on sports from France with the digital bookmakers mentioned on this page.

Can you purchase lottery tickets online in France?

Yes, you can buy lottery tickets online in France on the lottery platforms listed on this page.

Can you use bitcoin wagering websites in France?

No, officially, bitcoin gambling websites are illegal for French citizens.

Are there gambling websites, which accept players from France?

Yes, some international online gambling websites accept players from the country. You can see a list of these licensed internet wagering sites on this webpage.

Which internet gambling apps can I use from France?

You can use any of the mobile gambling apps listed on this webpage.

Which online bingo sites accept players from France?

Online bingo is a monopoly of the French FDJ.

Which online poker websites accept players from France?

The digital poker networks listed on this webpage accept players from the Republic of France, you can see them above this FAQ, at the France online poker section.

Which online sportsbooks accept bettors from France?

The digital bookmakers and wagering websites listed above this questions and answers section accept punters from France (the list can be found at the the France internet sports betting section).

Which online lotteries accept registrations from France?

It is a monopoly of the French lottery company FDJ (privatized in 2019, no longer majority state-owned).

Which internet gambling platforms have a French license?

Online gambling licences are issued the L'Autorité nationale des Jeux (ANJ). All of the online gambling companies listed on this page have a licence from the ANJ (or their subsidiaries have one, or they ae in some sort of partnership with a licensed legal entity, except for the online gambling sites licensed in other EU countries, they can also accept French players for various legal reasons).

Which crypto gambling platforms accept players from France?

Bitcoin gambling is officially illegal in France and in all the French overseas territories.

 

This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling activities in every country around the world.

Last updated: 2021-08-12

Gamble responsibly,
SimonTheSorcerer

Last Updated on 2022-08-12 by Simon

Thank you for visiting:
This is a selfie of the author and owner of Simon's Casino Gambling Blog, me, Simon András Péter, a.k.a. by the internet pseudonym SimonTheSorcerer, owner of Simon's Online Marketing Kft. This is the homepage of my online casino gambling blog, you can see what's on the website, the links to all the different sections of the website.

That's me, Simon, thank you for visiting.

Don't worry, this is not an ad! ;) Just wanted to make sure to tell you that I'm glad you visited this gambling blog. I'm Simon, the only author and the man behind this blog (if you are interested, my unusual life story can be found on the homepage, under the "About me" dropdown section).
I'm an independent gambling blogger since 2012. In this sector dominated by huge media companies, casino operators and online marketing networks, who can easily spend $ millions on their online gambling blogs, it's not easy for an independent nobody like me to survive. It took me about 6 years, working my ass off, to even have a chance to be noticed by visitors like you. I'm lucky enough that for a few years now, I make enough money to be able to do this full time (before that, I had part-time jobs, ghost writing gigs, online marketing this and that).
Now I can finally do this full time, thanks to visitors like you! And it means a lot! If you are interested, please bookmark this site (no social media profiles, I no longer have any, but please feel free to share anything on any social media networks, if you still use them). I don't have any money to advertise, and if you have a personal blog, any social media profile, please mention my gambling blog and link back to it. This the only way for a small website like this to grow. Thank you!

Logo of Kiva.org. You can read about my non-profit activity right next to the picture.
Charity: As a way to help others, to give back, I sometimes donate to Kiva. If you click on the ads on the website, I make some money. And in a good month, if I make more than my expenses, I donate to people and projects on Kiva.
Kiva helps young entrepreneurs in developing countries, which is an issue close to my heart for obvious reasons. If you have the means, please sign up with the revolutionary non-profit company Kiva.org and help people lift themselves out of poverty, through hard-work, and an initial investment (non-profit loan). These non-profit loans encourage entrepreneurship and hard work instead of creating a dependent class that is afraid to get a job, or start a business (because if they did, they would no longer get support and free money, disincentivizing hard work and entrepreneurship). This is the right way to fight poverty in developing countries (or anywhere else really), and if this is something you are interested in, and if you would like to know more, or to help out, please check out Kiva.org here. Thank you!
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Summary:
Simon's Guide to France Online Gambling Websites
Article Name:
Simon's Guide to France Online Gambling Websites
Description:
This guide focuses on the legal status of the various forms of online gambling: bingo, lottery, poker, sports betting and bitcoin wagering in France. The guide also includes a list of licensed French gambling websites, which accept players from the country.
Author:
Simon András Péter (SimonTheSorcerer)
Publisher:
Simon's Online Casino Gambling Blog
Publisher Logo: