In France, legal bets on Euro 2024 were 50% lower than predicted. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Black market rising

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has the labeled the warnings of a French trade body over the surge in the country’s black market activity at Euro 2024 as “worrying.”

legal bets on the soccer tournament were 50% lower than estimated

The French Online Gaming Association (AFJEL) has raised the alarm over explosive data that reveals legal bets on the soccer tournament were 50% lower than estimated by the French gambling regulator. EGBA shared AFJEL’s concerns via X on Monday:

Ahead of the showpiece soccer tournament in Germany, L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) had predicted the legal betting market would rake in a record-breaking figure of up to €1bn ($1.09bn).

The data released this week by the ANJ instead paints a completely different picture. AFJEL compounded the malaise, stating that for Euro 2024, its member operators have seen a drop of approximately 25% in legal bets compared to the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

Trade body slams regulator

According to an AFJEL press release, the steep decline in France’s regulated betting market is at odds with trends across the rest of Europe and “confirms the massive diversion of players from the legal offer to the illegal market.”

AFJEL President Nicolas Béraud pulled no punches when he stated the black market was “cannibalising the online sports betting sector.”

“Illegal online casino sites have offered, with complete impunity, a sports betting offer on Euro 2024 with very attractive odds and without any player protection measures,” Béraud added.

ANJ’s attempts to block bettors from illegal sites “still not working”

The AFJEL chief further twisted the knife into the national gambling regulator by stating the ANJ’s attempts to block bettors from illegal sites was “still not working.” Béraud, however, said that operators licensed in France to run legal sports betting for the Euros “did very well.”

France echoes Thailand  

While Béraud lamented the rise of black market betting in a tournament that saw Killian Mbappe’s team progress as far at the semi-finals, France can at least share its woes with Thailand.

Just before Spain beat England 2-1 in Sunday’s final in Berlin, a special police task force in Thailand set up to combat illegal betting on the Euros posted staggering findings. The Bangkok Post cited police on Sunday as making 3,863 arrests and shuttering 224 illegal sports betting websites linked to the Euros with TBH2.4bn ($66.4m) in circulation. Other than some bloodsports, all gambling is illegal in Thailand.

Online casinos are illegal in France. The country ranks alongside Italy and Germany as hosting the EU’s biggest online gambling black markets.