The Senate voted this Wednesday evening in favor of strengthening part of the taxation of games of money and chance, with the exception of horse racing betting. The amendment adopted by elected officials and carried by the Social Affairs Committee, as part of the examination of the Social Security financing bill for 2025, also provides for the creation of a contribution on advertisements relating to this type of games.
“Strong growth in the gambling sector has been noted for several years, mainly due to the development of the online offering,” noted centrist rapporteur Élisabeth Doineau. “This trend is increasing and the French gambling market confirms its dynamism in 2023, with a record level of activity and the recording of gross gaming revenue of 13.4 billion euros, increasing by 3.5% compared to 2022,” she detailed.
But the elected official also wanted to warn of “the continued increase in the number of people treated for an addiction problem”. “This is also the subject,” she pointed out, while the revenue generated by this taxation is directed towards the health sector. “These games of money and chance can lead to situations of addiction and over-indebtedness for a certain number of players. The consequences are harmful for these players, those around them and the community: phenomenon of addiction, isolation, depressive symptoms…” added the socialist senator from Côtes-d’Armor Annie Le Houérou.
The mechanism adopted provides in particular to increase from 11.2% to 11.9% the contribution rate due on a fraction equal to 68% of the gross product of automatic games in casinos, and from 0.2% to 10% the amount of levy on the gross product of online circle games.
Two special cases: sports betting and horse racing
During the debates, an amendment carried by the right made it possible to limit the increase in taxation on sports betting carried out online and at points of sale to 1%, compared to 4.4% in a first version. The objective is to preserve the sporting partnerships developed by certain gambling operators, while many sports leagues have been permanently destabilized by the health crisis. But this reduction made part of the left jump.
“These platforms target very vulnerable audiences, players become addicted in working-class neighborhoods where they have few prospects for the future. These platforms are effective in targeting them and leading them into addiction. It is also a scourge for athletes, it is through these platforms that players are cyberharassed en masse because they lost a match even though their odds on these sites were attractive,” said wanted to denounce the environmentalist senator from Rhône Thomas Dossus. “For me, these online betting platforms are not supporters of sport, but parasites which contribute to making this universe toxic. »
Concerning the exemption enjoyed by horse racing, physical and online betting – despite some attempts to broaden the system from the ranks of the left – Élisabeth Doineau indicated that it was a question of preserving a fragile sector. “We protect horse racing because it provides direct and indirect employment on our territory. We are sensitive to this global situation,” she stressed.
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