The French gambling sector seems to be engulfed in stormy waters, with uncertainties resulting from the dismissal of the Prime Minister after a vote of no confidence. Bayrou was somewhat of an ally to the industry within the government and had distanced himself from proposed tax hikes, at least in public.
His ouster has further put into question several issues related to the licensing of online casinos and the tax hikes awaiting passage. These were issues that Bayrou had been actively trying to address, especially seeking exemptions within the horse racing industry, as, according to him, higher taxes would kill jobs.
Anxiety from the industry was recently aired in the Senate. The Betclic boss, Nicolas Béraud, gave an example of how French operators are subject to an effective tax rate of nearly 70% on gross gaming revenue. In contrast, such tax rates range between 20 and 35% in other European countries. Grégory Rabuel of Casinos de France, meanwhile, stated that land casinos shall be able to adjust if online casinos are ever legalized, but are not actively advocating for their introduction.
The new attention is on Bayrou's successor. Considered as potential candidates are Sébastien Lecornu and Gérald Darmanin, who were very much in favor of promoting the legalization of online casinos. Bernard Cazeneuve, another strong contender, has also been especially supportive of the land-based sector and, at some point, proposed reinstating legal gambling in Paris.