France Smashes Betting Records During World Cup 2022

The 2022 World Cup may have ended in heartbreak for the French national team, but French sportsbook and casino operators will definitely walk away feeling like winners. Figures released from the l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) this week show that nearly €600m was wagered during the tournament, smashing all previous records in the country.

Strong Numbers Across the Board

In total, €597m was wagered by French Bettors during the World Cup. This was a 56% increase on the World Cup in 2018 and a 37% increase from Euro 2020. There were 54 million bets placed during the tournament, with €51m being placed on the final. This was a new record for bets on one match, beating the €38m from the previous final. French bettors will have had increased interest, with the team reaching both finals. 

In total, a record-breaking 2.6 million accounts placed bets on the World Cup Final. The Gross gaming revenue from the tournament was €70m. 

While these numbers appear very strong, the ANJ actually noted a serious slowdown in growth. The gross gaming revenue was only up 2.5% on the previous year, which was a significant drop from the 44% increase that had been seen in 2021. Like many statistics at the moment though, it is difficult not to factor in the Covid-19 pandemic and the potential changes it caused. 

Controlled Advertising 

A big talking point in the football world right now is betting advertising and sponsorship. The ANJ decided to take a unique approach to this. It asked French operators to agree to a charter before the tournament to moderate their advertising campaigns and to scale them back across forms of media. 

Most major operators within the country complied, though, the results of the plan are difficult to quantify. As well as this, there were different prevention campaigns that were running throughout the tournament. The intention of these was to raise awareness about the risks of problem gambling and to hopefully make punters more conscious about their betting activities. Once again, the effectiveness of such campaigns is difficult to check. Other regulatory bodies will no doubt want to monitor the situation, with several European countries also attempting to curb advertising during football. 

The ANJ released a statement regarding these issues. They first noted the huge success of the World Cup and the records it has broken. They described sports betting as a real craze in the country. In regards to advertising, they talked about the normalisation of gambling content. They praised the operators for their commitment to helping reduce advertising pressures but admitted that there is still a long way to go and more discussions to be had in the future. 

Liam Hoofe

Published: 03 Feb 2023

 | Updated: 13 Mar 2023

Liam is a skilled writer and journalist, highly regarded for his perceptive examination of the gambling industry. He specializes in online casinos and sports betting, and his work has been published in top-tier publications. Here at GoodLuckMate, Liam covers the latest industry news and has also authored various gambling guides, offering both beginners and experienced players in-depth analyses of games and strategies.

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