“The French Out Bet the British in Online Gambling”

Now that all the facts and figures are in, we know that the French spend more time playing on Internet gambling sites than do their British counterparts. According to February figures from Nielsen/NetRatings, over 22 percent of those online in France spent over an hour betting, a number approximately three times higher than the average UK online gambler. The French also have twice as many sessions as do UK online gamblers.

Figures for Britain show a smaller, but still impressive, 14% of its population accessing online gambling sites. While not as large as the percentage of the French population, it is still a 45 percent increase from the previous year.

One of the main factors propelling the popularity of Internet gambling in France is that Internet gambling allows the French to bypass state controlled betting (Pari Mutuel Urbain or PMU). Betting on horse races, lotto and the National Lottery are all state controlled in France and casinos are only allowed in certain towns with special status. Internet gambling sites give the French the freedom to gamble how they please which they otherwise would not have.

Many have argued that increasing access to broadband is the primary force behind the Internet gambling rage, and while it is clearly a significant contributing factor, it is not the only cause. If you look only at France, it would be reasonable to come to this conclusion since roughly 85 percent of those using the Internet have broadband, but in Sweden, a nation where online gambling is also extremely popular, only 56 percent of Internet gamblers logged onto a high-speed link.

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