SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Industry tax hikes and iCasino regulations are still on France’s agenda but take a back seat for now, as new PM François Bayrou must navigate persisting conflicts and political divisions that have sunk predecessors.
Excessive debt has been the leitmotif of French politics for the past few months and once again it dominated new Prime Minister François Bayrou’s general policy speech yesterday. Bayrou said his government’s three key priorities were to adopt official state and social security budgets, reform its public realm and reconcile the nation (‘good luck with that’ seems to be the most common reaction, but still).
Higher taxes on the gambling sector, especially aimed at online operators, were a key feature of previous PM Michel Barnier’s budget. These have been postponed for the time being, while the prospects for online casino regulation remain highly uncertain as long as the political instability persists.
Working groups set to evaluate the potential impact of legalised iCasino were due to take place this quarter, but are yet to happen for lack of an effective government in place.
Censure mode
Another confidence vote (motion de censure) is set to be put forward tomorrow. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise, said he would be calling for a confidence vote back in December and he was joined by the Greens yesterday.
However, LFI and the Greens don’t have a majority to carry the vote and Rassemblement National has already said it would not vote down the government for a second time. The Socialists have taken the same position, but they have major disagreements (and, according to Politico, potentially a major misunderstanding) with the government over plans to reform the country’s retirement system.
Where to start on France’s conflicts and divisions
National debt, a sluggish economy, retirement reforms and deep divisions among the population are just some of the high-level priorities that Bayrou’s cabinet is trying to address, all the while avoiding a confidence vote.
For this reason, there are doubts about the level of importance of online casino regulation. In addition, the country’s land-based casinos benefit from the support of a large number of MPs and mayors up and down the country, thus placing further pressure on a government that needs all the support it can get to vote through a national budget, with mid-February the earliest a budget vote can take place.
Legalising online casinos is not an important issue in France, but it is high profile and a sensitive one with the general public and could yet play a role politically.
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Article is published by SBCNews in partnership with Gaming&Co.
