French Tax Dismay As Online Opening Excludes Casino Games

The French budget minister’s confirmation yesterday that France’s forthcoming online gambling regulations will be enforced via payments and IP blocking measures has left would-be operators contemplating an effective tax rate of 8.5 percent on total stakes for sports betting, 15.5 percent for horserace betting and 2 percent for online poker – the sole activities to be permitted under France’s ‘controlled opening’ of the market.