France's regulated online gambling operators generated €1.449bn ($1.62bn) in gross gaming revenue (GGR) for H1 2026, up 11% year-on-year, according to the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ).
The regulator's mid-year review covers online sports betting, poker and horseracing, with its comparison to H1 2025 reflecting revised reporting scope.
Online sports betting accounted for €995m in GGR, an 11.6% increase. Poker contributed €290m, up 13.4%, while online horseracing rose 2.8% to €164m. Sports betting provided more than two-thirds of online GGR, although poker posted the fastest percentage growth among the three activities.
On those figures, sports betting made up about 69% of the online total, poker 20% and horseracing 11%. The smaller horseracing gain therefore had less influence on the overall 11% increase than the movements in the other two categories.
The number of active online accounts reached 5.85 million, a 24% increase, while the estimated number of individual players was 4.06 million, up 17%. The two measures are not interchangeable because one player can hold accounts with multiple operators. Account activity expanded faster than the estimated number of people participating.
Sports betting stakes rose 10.6% for H1. Growth was 4% across January to May before a 47% year-on-year rise for June, when the men's football World Cup began. The tournament had a pronounced effect on the final month, while the ANJ data also shows growth earlier in the period.
Across the regulator's wider market measure, GGR was €5.66bn, 0.5% above H1 2025. That total excludes casinos and gaming clubs. FDJ's exclusive-rights activities generated €3.43bn, down 2%, while PMU recorded €782m, down 5.8%. The online increase offset weaker revenue in those established segments.
The figures show contrasting trends across product categories. Online growth remains concentrated in sports betting and poker, while exclusive-rights lottery activities and PMU revenue declined. The revised comparison base matters when assessing the pace of growth against earlier ANJ publications, particularly for accounts and individual players.
In April, Global Gaming Insider reported online GGR of €2.62bn for France in 2025, providing a full-year reference for the expansion now visible in H1.
Online operators' acquisition bonuses in June were nearly four times their June 2025 level
