France's regulated gambling market generated €5.66 billion in gross gaming revenue during the first half of 2026, excluding casinos and gaming clubs. The total was 0.5% higher than a year earlier, a marked slowdown from the 4.1% growth reported for the comparable period one year before.
The Autorite nationale des jeux said online gambling was the only contributor to overall growth. Online GGR increased 11% to €1.45 billion and accounted for 25.6% of the measured market. Active player accounts rose 24% to a record 5.85 million, although accounts are not the same as unique individuals because one person can use more than one operator.
Online sports betting remained the largest digital segment. Stakes increased 10.6% to €6.6 billion across the half-year. Growth was concentrated in June, when World Cup activity lifted stakes 47% from the same month of 2025 and active accounts increased 69%. ANJ also said operators' acquisition bonuses in June were nearly four times the prior-year level.
Poker GGR rose 13.4% to €290 million, supported by Sit & Go games, while online horse-racing stakes increased 16% to €920 million. These figures show expansion across all three regulated online categories, but they do not establish whether the enlarged account base will remain as active after the tournament.
The exclusive-rights businesses moved in the opposite direction. FDJ United's French exclusive-rights GGR fell 2% to €3.43 billion, with lottery revenue accounting for most of the decline. The company's half-year results separately reported a 2% decline in GGR and revenue for its French lottery and retail sports-betting unit. PMU's exclusive-rights GGR fell 5.8% to €782 million, its third consecutive first-half decline.
A current industry report reflects the same headline figures. The regulator cautions that full-year performance will depend partly on activity after the World Cup. Casino and gaming-club results are outside this dataset and will be released on ANJ's annual schedule.
