It was the two goals of the Act he added

Unibet is, with the UK Ladbrokes - which, it has already concluded a partnership with Canal -, one of the last great European games and paris France still missing online. But perhaps for a long time. According to our information, the Malta-based Group of Swedish origin initiated preliminary discussions with the French gaming (JDF) to conclude an operational partnership. Contacted by "Les echos", the two operators did not wish comment.

The purpose of the agreement would be for the JDF to share its technology platform - after TF1 and barrier - or expertise rating with Unibet, and on the basis of a system of revenue sharing. This would allow the Maltese operator, including the request for approval to the authority of French control, the Arjel, has still not led, having finally located the France canvas, the world it prevails for some 4.7 million customers across.

Technology platform

Such an association, if it is embodied, could be a good way to boost a market that, four months after its partial liberalization, is struggling to take off, the same notice many professionals present in Monaco, where stood - until yesterday - the first show on games and betting online Monaco Igaming Exchanges, in parallel with the traditional Sportel.

The activity of the players licensed by the Arjel is indeed consistent with the State of the market before the implementation of the Act in June. It is estimated at around 800 to 900 million euros in annual slip, on the basis of a total of of updates of sports betting on the authorized sites since the opening of the market of the online games, four months ago, 262,33 million.

"It is in line with our estimate of an illegal market at EUR 1 billion before the law", is the Chairman of the regulatory authority, Jean-François Vilotte. "There is a failover not an explosion." "It was the two goals of the Act," he added. Following the publication by the Arjel of this figure, BetClic has announced in a press release hold "a market share of more 40 on sports betting on its licensed site, devoting its position of leader of sports betting online in France".

However, the overall activity level, if it is correct, remains whole modest. And it owes much to the relative under-performance by operators with football. The disastrous elimination of the team of France in the World Cup would be an element of explanation, but it is partial. Because, if the football is the dominant sport, with 58 of the rollup of updates is 80 announced. In addition, fans prefer the competitions other than the France League Championship, with an amount of updates 5.2 times higher on the period late September - early October.

"When you look at what is happening in the major European countries, you see, whenever the existence of three games lighthouses, both large and small." In France, it is the lottery, racing, and sports far behind paris. "But it seems that Internet is to create a fourth with the poker", analyses the CEO-founder of ZeTurf, Emmanuel de Rohan Chabot.

"The French market is not yet mature and the performance of the France team was not as expected." The season really begins in September. "Expect to see the results of the last quarter", relativizes, for its part, the Director of the international development of the PMU, Aymeric Verlet.

Processing rates

Indeed, the increase in the French market of sportsbook should in particular be the result of an improvement in the rate of transformation of the Internet candidates, which is 50 today. "The opening attracted people who had never played before." In the space of four months, it opened 2 million accounts 700,000 are considered as provisional by the Arjel, Editor's note. The challenge will be for the operators to educate the public. "There is a lot of closures one week, followed by a new opening in another operator", stressed the President of the society of intermediation Gamned, Olivier Goulon. "The rate of inefficiency is 50 although there is a constant flow of registration", note Jean-François Vilotte.

Another finding is confirmed: not be cannibalized, horse racing betting online is almost equal game with sports betting, with a total of EUR 230,28 million updates, according the Arjel. Feared by the horse racing industry, its cannibalization therefore did not place. The market is even in the process of extension, if one refers to the only sales on the Internet conducted last year by the PMU, is EUR 660 million.

By contrast, official statistics still lack about online poker, seemingly, according to professionals, a great success. At this stage, the Arjel refuses to disclose figures in view of the importance of the phenomenon of rehabilitation in this game.

"The volume has not changed fundamentally", provides for its part the CEO of Chiligaming, Alexandre Dreyfus, particularly well informed on the sector. According to him, the gross proceeds of the games would be around 150 to 200 million euros. Winamax, another operator of weight in poker, believes the market 250 million on an annual basis.