{"id":13671,"date":"2025-09-05T13:31:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/?post_type=opinion&#038;p=13671"},"modified":"2025-09-05T13:31:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:31:03","slug":"france-and-cyprus-risk-isolation-in-europes-online-casino-landscape","status":"publish","type":"opinion","link":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/opinion\/france-and-cyprus-risk-isolation-in-europes-online-casino-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"France and Cyprus risk isolation in Europe\u2019s online casino landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the shifting landscape of European gambling regulation, two jurisdictions stand increasingly alone: <strong>France and Cyprus<\/strong>. While nearly every EU member state has embraced regulated online casino frameworks\u2014albeit with varied tax rates, licensing structures, and responsible gaming provisions\u2014France and Cyprus continue to enforce blanket prohibitions. This position, once defensible in the name of consumer protection, is now undermining both fiscal policy and market credibility, leaving these countries politically and economically isolated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/landing\/multigame-link\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"340\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/ice-london-termino-y-se-despidio-la-feria-en-imagenes-mgl-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/ice-london-termino-y-se-despidio-la-feria-en-imagenes-mgl-1.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/ice-london-termino-y-se-despidio-la-feria-en-imagenes-mgl-1-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/ice-london-termino-y-se-despidio-la-feria-en-imagenes-mgl-1-768x261.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case of <strong>France<\/strong> illustrates the tension most vividly. The French government\u2019s abrupt withdrawal of its proposed 2025 budget amendment, which would have legalized online casinos under a <strong>55.6% effective tax rate<\/strong>, sent shockwaves through the sector. On one hand, policymakers emphasized the risks of cannibalization, warning that land-based casino revenues could fall <strong>20\u201330%<\/strong>, endangering up to <strong>15,000 jobs<\/strong>, as highlighted by Gregory Rabuel, president of <strong>Casinos de France<\/strong>. On the other hand, data from <strong>ANJ<\/strong> (Autorit\u00e9 Nationale des Jeux) paints a stark reality: France\u2019s illegal online casino market generated between <strong>\u20ac748 million and \u20ac1.5 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR)<\/strong> in 2023, with nearly <strong>50% of underground play<\/strong> attributed to casino products and <strong>79% of high-risk players<\/strong> engaged in unlawful activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The contradiction is clear. By maintaining prohibition, France channels billions into unregulated offshore sites while depriving its treasury of potential revenues at a time when the country faces one of the EU\u2019s largest fiscal deficits. Even under a burdensome tax framework, regulated online casinos could contribute meaningfully to public finances, as proven by Italy, Spain, and Germany\u2014jurisdictions that initially resisted full legalization but now benefit from controlled revenue streams and greater oversight of consumer protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/landing\/multigame-link\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9622\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/multigame-diamod-III-700-eng-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Cyprus<\/strong> presents a smaller but no less illustrative case. Although the country has cultivated a successful integrated resort model with the City of Dreams Mediterranean, it continues to block online casino licensing beyond sports betting. The result is a thriving grey market where local demand is served by offshore operators, unchecked by local compliance or tax capture. In a single-market environment where digital entertainment knows no borders, Cyprus\u2019s prohibition looks increasingly unsustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the EU, the political narrative has shifted toward <strong>channelization<\/strong>\u2014the principle that effective regulation captures consumer demand within the legal market. Yield Sec\u2019s <strong>2025 study<\/strong> estimated that <strong>71% of Europe\u2019s online gambling revenue flows to unlicensed operators<\/strong>, costing governments an estimated <strong>\u20ac20 billion annually<\/strong> in lost taxation. France and Cyprus, by opting out of legalization, not only exacerbate this channelization crisis but also weaken the EU\u2019s collective credibility in combating illicit markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For policymakers in Paris and Nicosia, the argument that prohibition safeguards social welfare no longer holds. Unregulated markets are thriving, player protection is absent, and fiscal opportunities are squandered. By contrast, countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden\u2014both of which introduced tighter restrictions in 2023\u20132024\u2014demonstrate that calibrated regulation, not outright bans, is the path forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broader European gaming industry, from Malta-based B2B suppliers to Spanish operators, increasingly views France and Cyprus as outliers. The risk is not just economic isolation but reputational damage: as the EU consolidates regulatory standards under the Digital Services Act and AML directives, member states refusing to engage with online casino licensing will find themselves marginalized in policy discussions and industry investments alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the long run, prohibition is not protection\u2014it is abdication. Unless France and Cyprus align with the prevailing European consensus, they risk being remembered not as cautious regulators, but as jurisdictions that ceded control of their digital gambling markets to offshore actors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Europe embraces online casino regulation, France and Cyprus remain isolated holdouts. Their prohibitions fuel black markets, tax losses, and political marginalization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13672,"menu_order":18,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4933,3184,3616,11],"class_list":["post-13671","opinion","type-opinion","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","tag-cyprus","tag-europe","tag-france","tag-illegal-gambling","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>France and Cyprus risk isolation in Europe\u2019s online casino landscape - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Europe embraces online casino regulation, France and Cyprus remain isolated holdouts. 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