Online Casinos France

Our expert Milan Rabszski specifically for South African players living in France wants to cover such issues:

1. legal situation in France;
2. historical features that influenced the development of gambling in French establishments;
3. which payment methods are best to use;
4. how to choose the best online casino, which criteria should be used?

History of gambling in France

The history of the development of gambling and gambling as such in the French environment is characterized quite differently than in comparison with other European countries. First of all, it is necessary to take into account all the time frames and, accordingly, divide the evolution of French gambling into stages. Scientists believe that the formation of French gambling began many centuries ago, as in other European countries, but the problem was that the practice of something like gambling in those days was not defined for a long time. We all remember the first slot machines, bets on any events between friends, etc. At every stage, gambling had the same characteristics, as it was not seen as a global phenomenon.

In the early 1500s, the situation changed somewhat. It was then that the image of the lady was added to the standard deck of Cards. The French variant of the card deck was the predecessor of the standard 52-card deck used today. The French took up the development of card games, which appeared in other countries and reached France, but in some cases everything was reversed. For example, Blackjack in France was known as " Vingt-et-un” and was popular mainly among the French Templars. In French gambling houses he appeared in the 1700s and enjoyed an interest supposedly like another French game Faro. These two games were loaned to players in the UK and later dos$u all the way to the United States, where the local French helped spread these entertainments across the country. The seventeenth century was also famous for the creation of the French state lottery, which similarly to other entertainments also reached other European countries. It was the same with poker and Chemin de fer, which were the first to develop in France. The definition of gambling as such lasted for a long time – until the 18th century – it was then that the gambling industry experienced a great revolution and changes in most countries of Europe. In this century, many different gambling games have been developed deeper and wider, so that future players can receive a full set of different card entertainment and not only. In France, every gambling game was associated with a different class. What exactly is this about? Card games flourished in France in the 1720s and 1770s. At that time, the cards were mainly depicting the Kings reigning in those times. So, games using cards on which there were images of Kings were available only to the rich French. Card games were not played anywhere, but only in special salons or buildings. This gambling style was greatly admired by foreign gamblers. People came to France from all over the world to learn how to gamble as a real art. Gambling habits from Paris spread very quickly in neighboring kingdoms. The capital of France was a very influential place in this respect, mainly visited by the rich, who had a lot of time, resources and opportunities. In the 17th century, the most popular entertainment were two: Bingo and cards. The first game in the French version existed under the name “le lotto " and mainly consisted of matching numbers that were called randomly. The cards, in turn, functioned as a system of various card games that we know today. There were mainly 40 cards in the decks, and the players placed bets not for the purpose of getting rich, but for a good pastime, of which there were really a lot of rich people. The eighteenth century was for the whole of France, and especially for Paris, the opportunity to establish a business on the basis of offering gambling. People basically played against each other, but they tried to pay for their place, the use of cards and amenities on the part of the employees of the salons. Later, the rich began to establish their own gambling houses, in which the player could play not only against another player, but also the owner of the house to which he came.

Gambling in France went through different stages. So the 18th century became the heyday followed by the era of banning all gambling. What was previously called a sign of good manners, in the 40 years of the 19th century was absolutely inaccessible: the authorities began to close the gaming salons, and eventually the gambling business in general was suppressed. The owners of gambling houses even had to leave France forever, so as not to be called to court proceedings. It took so long and a few years later the ban on gambling was lifted. This made it possible to update and enrich the offer of games in French salons with other games. This time everything began to take place according to the law – gambling was allowed only in designated establishments. The great interest of the French in gambling has shifted from cards to lottery coupons and betting on horse racing.

Historians believe that no nation was as Democratic in its support of gambling as it was in France. In other words, everything that became popular, the government tried to legalize.

The history of French roulette

Not only Blackjack appeared in France, in different casinos until today we distinguish different types of roulette, among which there is a game with the name French. Where did this term come from and how French roulette appeared, we will tell you further.

Roulette from French translates as” small wheel " and its most important features were acquired in France. The roulette prototype looked very different than it does today. In fact, there was no wheel, so according to the “old rules” the numbers had to be chosen from a bag or from a deck of Cards. In Italy, the game with similar rules was called "Biribi“, and in England – ” Rowlet “or”Roly Poly".

In the mid-17th century, the French mathematician Blaise Pascal, through correspondence with Pierre de Fermat (the creator of calculus), tried to develop a theory of probability. In fact, they started working on this issue in relation to the game of craps, but they also tried to apply the theory to the game of roulette.

Many historians and scientists believe that the roulette wheel known to this day, the name and rules appeared in the 90s of the 17th century. It gained popularity thanks to the French brothers Francois and Louis Blanc, who in 1843 founded the Kursaal Casino in Bad Homburg, which offered a roulette wheel with a single zero. A few years later, in 1863, Francois obtained a license to play French roulette in Monte Carlo (Monaco). So, before the first World War, this game was the leading entertainment in most gaming salons, because thanks to this variety, players could well increase their income. Soon, even a legend arose that Francois and Louis Blanc made a deal with the devil, exchanging their souls for the discovery of the “secret of the wheel” (since the total number on the wheel of French roulette is 666). Of course, it's just a legend.

Ground offices in France: before and today

Earlier we wrote that the 18th century was a breakthrough for players from France, but this does not mean that before there were various places that in their shape and conditions resembled the land-based casinos that we have today. About the first casino of this type in France began to talk back in 1550. For the opening of such a gambling establishment was issued a special permission from King Francis I.

Nowadays, France is considered the cultural homeland of land-based casinos, as it is famous for the oldest and most successful casinos in all of Europe. Such as Casino Le Croisette in Cannes, Casino Barrier d'enghien-les-Bains overlooking the picturesque lake enghien, Casino de Biarritz and Casino Barriere de Deauville. The latter is a seaside resort favorite of the French elite, which has been operating since 1912, and in 1988 it was completely restored in the Baroque style. An even older establishment is the gambling building, which is located in Nice, which was built in 1884 on Place Masséna, and was demolished in 1979. In 1954, another casino was opened in the east of France – Divonne-les-Bains. There now you can play not only gambling, but also find a hotel, restaurants and places where regular performances take place. As statistics show, by 2020 in France there were more than 200 land-based casinos, which are mainly located on the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. According to the latest data, the number of classic modern slot machines in these French establishments is close to 24,000.

French regulation of gambling as such: regulations and institutions

As in any European country and not only, gambling as a social phenomenon is regulated by special bodies. The difference between France and the rest of the world is that gambling is not prohibited here, but only limited. Here are some insights on French gambling culture and its current status in this country.

The French have always paid attention to the issue of gambling addiction. For this reason, until 1987, the minimum age for players to play in casinos was 21 years. The age limit was later lowered to 18 years. Now in the ownership of France there are as many as three bodies that regulate gambling and all related aspects:

• PMU is Pari Mutuel Urbain. This organization deals exclusively with betting on horse racing;
• FDJ-Française des Jeux. The institution is responsible for betting and conducting lotteries;
• ARJEL, Autorité de régulation des Jeux en ligne. This body is France's National Gambling Authority, which aims to regulate online gambling.

The first mention of the legalization of online gambling we see in 2005, it was then that the European Commission began to conduct research of the French gambling industry to determine the level of development of gambling in this country.

Now Gambling in France is defined this way:

"games that are conducted in any other way, in particular through the use of gaming terminals without the mediation of C$oviek, used solely or principally to undertake the game and made available to players in public or private places accessible to the public."

In 2009, the French government announced the emergence of a special law, which partially gave the opportunity to operators from other EU countries to implement in the French gambling industry. The law was criticized by the Remote Gambling association, because the appearance of such a piece of legislation entailed such consequences:

• limited range of gambling offers;
• the tax system is unfavorable for foreign operators;
• players will receive relatively low payouts;
• strict requirements related to the mandatory maintenance of game servers in the territory of France.

On May 12, 2010, a new gambling law was introduced, the French Gambling act, on the basis of which the French Gambling Authority (ARJEL) began to function. According to this, in France there are three types of licenses for three directions of online gambling:

1. online betting license;
2. authorisation for betting on horse racing;
3. Omaha Poker 4, Texas Hold'em No Limit, Texas Hold'em Pot Limit and Texas Hold'em Limit.

This means that other gambling activities (apart from poker), as well as spread betting, are not covered by French law, since in the explanation of this issue from the legislator it was strictly said that such types of gambling are too addictive. Poker, on the other hand, is the only legal type of gambling in France, since the outcome of the game depends solely on the level of gambling skills of the player himself and the strategy that he will use.

Popular payment systems in France

Of course, playing poker online, as well as legal betting in France is not possible without the use of payment methods. In this point we will show you the most used payment methods in French online casinos:

What bonuses and games do French gamblers choose?

Before we determine the choice of entertainment for the average French gambler, we must first take into account the fact that French law distinguishes poker as a legal game. Slot machines are not officially licensed due to the position of the French authorities (slots in France are considered addictive). But do the French players agree with that? of course not. So, most of them try to look for gambling sites of foreign brands, which also have licenses, but from such authorities as MGA, Curacao, Gibraltar etc. Anyway, such a great interest in various card and slot games from foreign online casinos did not cause a decrease in the popularity of poker. The French like all types of Poker not only for its legality in their country, but also for its attractiveness:

• Texas hold ' em poker;
• Omaha poker 4 high;
• Casino Hold ' em poker;
• Casino stud poker;
• Ultimate poker;
• Three card poker.

It is also worth emphasizing that France is the type of country where betting and horse racing are an integral and important part of the entire industry. This type of gambling entertainment stands in second place if you take its popularity.

Every gambler, of course, is looking for the best conditions for playing in a casino, especially online. Therefore, for every player in the French casinos of this type are waiting for the best bonuses. The set of bonuses does not differ from those that are offered in South African casinos. This is really a standard group of different offers among which players can see a welcome bonus at the very start (for new players), free spins without deposit for registration or free spins for deposit, as well as a cashback bonus that allows the player to withdraw some of the lost funds. Of course, the best French online casinos also give you the opportunity to participate in a gambling club or tournaments, races, lotteries.

Recommendations from Milan Rabszski on choosing the right Casino in France

Milan Rabszski has been studying the gambling situation in France for a long time, as this country is full of surprises and mysteries due to gambling offers. That is why he, like no one else, understands well that choosing the right online casino in France will be very troublesome for an ordinary player. If you live in France or simply live somewhere else but want to experience French gambling, take into account such criteria from our author:

• license and legality. In this aspect, it is important to look for permission not only from the French authorities, but also from foreign ones. If the French brand you have chosen is licensed by MGa or Curacao-you can be sure that everything is in order and the casino is regulated by the most important international bodies.
• The previous aspect immediately raises the issue of security. It is worth checking all the technologies that are used in the casino, as well as having quality certificates;
• software and types of games. Choose only games from manufacturers that also have an active license. This information can be easily checked on the main websites of Game providers;
• bonuses and gifts from kasyna;
• availability of payment methods. It is worth considering the French payment systems;
• functioning of support.

Summary: the operation of online casinos in France

According to the figures, the annual turnover of the gambling industry in France is $ 35 billion. Everyone expects the situation to continue to improve and develop as this nation of 64 million people has many opportunities to develop in the field of gambling in the coming years. For example, it helps to organize large events and sporting events: the World Cup in football or the Tour de France. However, horse racing is still popular. The pari-mutuel System in France thrives in more than 8,000 establishments, where more than 80% of such establishments are located.

On the other hand, online gambling is largely dependent on legislation. The latest statistics showed that nearly 47% of players choosing poker for a game are frustrated from using only the official website and very often try to use unlicensed gambling sites.

Such severe restrictions by the French government arose on the basis of two reasons:

1. The authorities of the country see no reason to weaken their control over gambling, as most of the income they receive from betting on horse racing. Even online poker is not considered by them as a game that is worth supporting so powerfully;
2. The French government has introduced such restrictions to prevent gambling addiction problems. At the moment there is no problem with this. We see this in social studies, which showed that in France there are 45% of active gamblers, but only 1.3% of them have ever had a problem with gambling addiction.