We love to gamble and the French do too, with land-based and online wagering legal in the entire country. But online casinos have some pre-requisites before French residents can wager securely online, which you can learn in our full guide for French players.
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France’s gambling history
Gambling in France has an incredibly long history when it comes to gambling. It dates back to the 16th century, where it has been reported the French were the first to add the Queen to a deck of cards.
France is also responsible for roulette. In 1655, a man by the name of Blaise Pascal who was a physicist, mathematician and inventor, tried to create a perpetual motion machine. This is a machine which continues to operate without the need of an external source of energy – despite physics stating it is impossible. While his experiment failed, the roulette wheel was invented and is now one of the most popular casino games available in the world.
Pari-mutuel betting, or pool betting was also established in France by Catalan impresario Joseph Oller in 1867. Baccarat was also found in France in the 15-16th centuries, but was known as Chemin der fer and only the Royals were allowed to play it. It wasn’t invented there though – the Italians take ownership of that.
Gambling in France today
The main state owned regulatory bodies in charge of gambling in France include the Française des Jeux (FDJ) for betting games and lotteries, and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) for horse betting. These were established in order to make gambling legal between the 1920’s and 30s.
Slot machines were around and advancing 50 years before they became legal in France in 1988, a year after the minimum gambling age was reduced from 21 to 18. Land-based gambling is still legal all over France, and you’ll find plenty of brick and mortar casinos in the country.
In 2010, online gambling was legalised and regulated by the Autorite de regulation des jeuxenligne (L’ARJEL), an authoritative body formed along with the French Gambling Act to regulate the industry. Many online gambling sites withdrew due to the high taxes incurred and over the top regulation and a lot of foreign offshore online casinos were blocked.
While there are no laws with regards to players gambling at offshore online casinos and players can legally head to these sites, you may have some trouble with accessing them. We’ve found a few which are compatible, but be sure to know the laws. We also recommended only playing at secure sites to ensure you do not get scammed.
Top EUR online casinos for French players
Offshore casinos mean they are located overseas and this does leave you vulnerable when it comes to resolving issues. There’s no laws telling you not to gamble at these sites, but there’s no laws protecting you either. This is where advanced gaming jurisdictions come in. These are third party watchdogs which regulate the online casino and monitor payout rates, game fairness and player protection protocols. Without these you could be scammed or have your identity stolen.
The following sites are all licensed by third parties, which is why we play here, and each site accepts French online gamblers.
Royal Vegas: Follow the links to this Fortune Lounge Group online casino and set the language to French if it hasn’t already been picked up. Then register with your details, selecting EUR as your preferred currency. This online casino is licensed by The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), which is considered to be one of the best watchdogs in the industry. You can also check up on payout rates by clicking on the eCOGRA logo which provides regular reports of the tested Microgaming games.
7Sultans: This online casino is very similar to Royal Vegas in it is monitored by the MGA, tested by eCOGRA and is a member of the Fortune Lounge Group. You will find Microgaming powered slots, table games, poker, and more as well as a live catalogue by Evolution Gaming – live dealers are streamed to your device in real time. The French language is available, or you can opt for English, and you can gamble in Euros.
BetOnline: This site only accepts USD but it makes up for it by offering an all-in-one catalogue. There’s a bookmaker, sports betting options, a casino, a live casino, and a poker room. The site is licensed in Panama, which is why USD is the only available currency, and this is considered to be a good licensing jurisdiction. English is also the only available language so if you prefer to gamble in French, you’ll have to opt for the above two sites.
You may be able to play at other sites which are appearing in the table above for you, but you will have to indicate your location is somewhere other than France depending on the site. If you want to withdraw large sums of money however, you will have to have entered the correct address details – or they can suspend your account. This is why the above recommendations are ideal.
French deposit options at online casinos
Neteller is one of the world’s best gambling web wallet as it allows players to easily manage their funds and make quick deposits and withdrawals. Unfortunately, French players aren’t eligible to use the full service of Neteller – but there is another option.
Euteller is a great choice as it instigates a secure wire transfer by linking the personal bank account to the web wallet. Then using the details players can fund their online casino account. This is an ideal method for those after a secure payment method too – the extra layer between the casino and your personal bank account increases security.
Credit and debit cards are also available methods, depending on the brand you use. Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted at the online casinos detailed above.