ARJEL reveals online gambling struggle in 2015

French national gambling regulator ARJEL has revealed that licensed online betting operators in the country’s regulated market incurred a collective operating loss of €5 million ($5.6 million) in 2015.

Sportsbook and online poker both suffered losses of €7 million for the 12-month period, with racing the only vertical operating as a positive as licensed companies generating €10 million in total.

Of the 11 sports betting operators active in the country, just five reported some kind of operating profit, with seven of the nine online poker brands posting a loss.

However, in contrast, the country’s overall sports betting market saw turnover hit a record €1.4 billion in 2015, up by 30% on the previous year.

ARJEL said this momentum carried over into the first six months of the current year, with turnover for the six-month period standing at €1.1 billion, 60% more than at the same point in the previous year.

Football continues to head up the sports betting market with a 53% share, with tennis the nearest challenger on 20%.

However, although sports betting turnover increased, online poker was down by 4% year-on-year to €232 million, while horseracing turnover also dropped 2% to just over €1 billion, representing a smaller loss than in the previous year (7%).

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