France's Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has reported record levels of online sports betting during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with total stakes exceeding €1.3bn ($1.5bn), more than double the €597m recorded during the 2022 tournament.
Gross gaming revenue reached €157m, compared with €70m four years earlier.
The regulator attributed the increase to several structural factors rather than a single tournament. The 2026 World Cup expanded from 32 to 48 teams and from 64 to 104 matches, creating more betting opportunities across the month-long competition.
The growth also reflects continued expansion in France's regulated online sports betting market, where annual stakes have risen from €8.5bn in 2023 to €10.3bn in 2024 and €11.5bn in 2025 despite the absence of a major international football tournament in the latter year.
According to the ANJ, 3.1 million players placed almost 113 million bets during the tournament through 3.8 million active accounts, including one million accounts opened while the competition was underway. That compares with 2.2 million players and 54 million bets during the 2022 World Cup.
France's semi-final against Spain generated €63m in online wagers, making it the country's most bet-on football match since records began in 2010.
The regulator also highlighted the financial outcomes for consumers. While 44% of players placed fewer than 10 bets, around 15,000 bettors placed more than 500.
Overall, 471,000 players lost more than €100 during the tournament, compared with 217,000 who won at least that amount. Only around one quarter of players completed the competition without recording a net loss.
The ANJ said it will monitor whether the tournament contributes to higher levels of excessive gambling in the coming months.
The World Cup also represented one of the year's largest marketing periods for licensed operators. Operators forecast around €150m of advertising and promotional spending during June and July, 25% above previous plans, although the regulator said its requests for moderation were largely respected.
Television broadcasters M6 and beIN Sports also declined to sell advertising during the tournament's new refreshment breaks to gambling operators, following discussions with the regulator.
Alongside the tournament data, the ANJ reiterated its disappointment that proposed whistle-to-whistle restrictions on gambling advertising were removed during France's parliamentary process. It nevertheless welcomed legislation strengthening action against illegal gambling and introducing additional safeguards for online players aged between 18 and 25.
Those measures form part of the regulator's wider strategy under new President Pascal Chèvremont, whose priorities include illegal gambling enforcement and player protection.
Earlier this month, the ANJ reminded consumers that esports betting remains illegal in France during the Esports World Cup, warning that offshore websites do not provide the consumer protections required under French law.
The regulator also highlighted its ongoing efforts against illegal gambling after blocking 1,290 illegal gambling websites or related advertisements during 2025.
The ANJ said eight licensed operators ran responsible gambling campaigns during the World Cup reminding customers how to keep gambling under control
