A preliminary plan has been presented to the French government, proposing the incorporation of iCasinos into the country’s gambling industry, which marks the beginning of a new phase in the French igaming landscape. The draft plan is sponsored by Philippe Latombe, an En Marche’s MP, who stated that “French gambling remains very restrictive and constrained”. The Gambling Law of 2010 …
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On Sunday 24 April, the French electorate will once again head to voting stations to decide the outcome of the General Election run-off between President Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. The build-up to the Presidential run-off has been closely monitored by political observers across the globe, as France’s underwhelmed electorate could well vote in far-right Marine Le Pen – …
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The European Commission (EC) has launched an ‘in-depth investigation’ examining how Groupe FDJ secured its 25-year exclusive concession to operate France’s national lottery. The Commission has launched its investigation following two separate complaints that highlighted Francaise des Jeux (FDJ) paying the French government a fee of €380 million to operate France’s national lottery games and retail distribution network. FDJ’s exclusive …
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France’s Ministry of the Economy and Finance has activated its ‘public reward’ for investors that participated in the Paris Euronext IPO of Française des Jeux (FDJ) back in November 2019. Groupe FDJ’s public investors will be rewarded with one additional share for each tranche of 10 IPO shares brought, with the supplement paid for by the French government. The offer, which …
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In 2021, industry eyes have shifted to French market developments, where top legal scholar Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin serves as the first leader of new regulatory agency L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ). Speaking exclusively to SBC, Falque-Pierrotin shares ANJ’s objectives to develop a ‘unified era’ for French gambling by modernising its laws whilst balancing enterprise needs with social responsibility duties… Can the ANJ deliver …
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French gambling has begun its ‘unified era’ under the L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) which will replace l’Autorité nationale de régulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL) as of today after board members held their first formal meeting. ANJ will act as a single regulatory body which oversees all forms of gambling in France, including online gambling, casinos, horse racing and …
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Française des Jeux (FDJ) has secured access to a €380 million syndicated loan, in which funds will be utilised to repay the French state’s agreed 25-year national lottery operating concession. Prior to becoming a publicly listed enterprise by floating on the Paris Euronext Exchange last November, the French government had granted FDJ a 25-year extension on its existing national lottery …
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France’s Economic & Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has hailed the public listing of Française des Jeux (FDJ) as a success for the government’s ‘Pacte Loi’ enterprise mandate – as FDJ secures a share subscription to date of over €1 billion on the Paris Euronext Exchange. FDJ’s stock went live on Friday 8 November, with the French government adding listing terms …
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French casino trade union ‘Casinos de France’ has written to the En Marche government demanding that its planned sale of state-owned gambling/lottery operator Francaise des Jeux (FDJ) be undertaken on specific terms which do not hinder national casino incumbents. The trade union, which represents staff working across forty French private/independent casino operators including Groupe Barrière, Partouche and Tranchant, states that FDJ’s …
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The French government has accelerated its plans to privatise state-owned lottery and sports betting operator Francaise des Jeux (FDJ), appointing a collective of eight investment banks to work on the sale of the asset. This week, the APE, the agency overseeing the management French state-owned firms, confirmed that BNP Paribas would be joined by Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Credit Agricole, HSBC, …
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