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France goes a rather long way back when it comes to gambling. It has invented the roulette and it also had a long and lasting history of championing Baccarat and Poker as games for the nobility that was later adopted into the mainstream. The best online casinos in France are quite tempting and you will certainly find them the right sort of place to be if you are eager to undertake some real money gaming action.
We review some of the top venues and consider those that you may want to skirt clear of. Understanding the gaming industry is exciting, because it is rather new, and here is our account of it.
Top Real Money Casino Sites for French Gamblers
France enjoys a host of online venues. Now that the gambling climate has been regulated by well-meaning authorities, it’s quite common for French chance takers to turn to a native online casino in France rather than stick to their offshore counterparts. Still, most savvy gamblers will continue to wager on both the casinos they know have worked for years and tease out those that are just now offering a tentative toe into the gambling waters of France.
Mystifying at first, you may rely on a number of metrics that will help you sort out whatever troubles you. We know how to present matters comprehensively and communicate our findings concisely.
How We Vet Online Casinos in France?
We are fond gamblers ourselves. Most of us have, like you, spent hours playing our favourite slots and wagering on table and card games. Over time, and with diligent research, we have acquired the whimsical side of operators by heart and assessed those against the current legal framework.
It’s not easy to spot a fraudster at first, but we’ve learned our lesson through first-hand bitter experience. Therefore, we carry out a stringent vetting process that examines every aspect of an operator separately. License, regulations, games, profit margins, and customer support – they all come within the scope of our research.
Safety & Reliability of the Offer
By looking into casinos, we always make sure they are regulated. This is tantamount to accountability and should things go awry, you will have a very good chance of setting the record straight with the help of third-party auditors.
The best online French casinos will quite readily welcome such external audits and post them as a badge of honour and a proof for their credibility.
Best Casino Games
The country that has invented one of the most notable gaming titles is certainly quite familiar with the fruitful assortment of titles you can freely pick from. With this in mind, we take a gander at what options there are:
Brilliant digital venues always bring you the host of reelers that are worth your attention. Three, five or more, they provide you with bountiful opportunities to notch up a profit of varying degree. Nevertheless, you may want to keep your eyes peeled for some key metrics, such as the return to player rates, which are a reliable gauge of how much money you can rake back on your investment this way.
Technically, all versions are called French roulettes, but with years they have evolved. The classic French roulette is, in fact, one of the most generous spinners, which you will certainly want to play on. Better still, you may even develop a winning strategy. However, when you are pursuing bonuses, French roulette will not pay as much in the way of bonus contributions, i.e. the sum you need to wager to clear the so-called wagering requirements.
Why is French roulette so lucrative? It comes with the so-called La Partage proviso, which mandates that every time the ball lands on 0, the house refunds half the sum a player has wagered. By one gauge, this reduces the house edge down to just 1.7%.
Poker strikes home with France. Quite popular and accessible, there are still a few things to be aware of. While poker has always been cosseted in the country, it has not exactly always been a dear to the government. However, being considered ‘a game of skill’ (a much heated debate about the game of skills is now afoot in the United States) has helped the game shine in its full glory.
Here is the big BUT you have been expecting. Only French players may join online casinos in France with .fr extensions and compete against their compatriots. This could indeed strike as somewhat restrictive, but things are changing and France has allowed operators to pool their players and funds with Spanish counterparts, at least where poker is concerned
Online Casino Bonuses for French Players
French players may enjoy the same number of bonuses that you can have elsewhere. The best online casinos in France will offer you just the same treats, and that goes beyond the common bells and whistles. Let us have a closer look:
- The welcome bonus or Ça rule! – The sign-up offer will include a number of deposit options. Most commonly, you will make a few deposits and be rewarded a varying percentage of your investment. It is always tempting, and yes, French online casinos do run such offers.
- Free spins, Allez! – A couple of free spins at the video slots to buoy up your spirits. A generous offer that is recurring throughout the best venues.
- Reload or à nos moutons – Yes, the reload bonus is definitely a way to get back to the matter at hand. Every time you deposit, you may at least hope that a reload bonus is coming down the road.
Safe Deposit Methods
Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will always want to know that your money is safe, especially so with online gaming. Thankfully, the flagship online casinos in France employ thoroughly-vetted means of transferring money, including:
- Credit/debit card payment;
- E-wallets;
- Offline vouchers;
- Giftcards;
- Mobile payment
Rest assured that the top players have your back and you will be able to move your money around in a matter of days. Most depositing methods are instantaneous whereas withdrawals take up to five business days, just to make sure that no foul play occurs. Playing at a French casino is tantamount to staying safe.
Tips for Online Gaming
Of course, the soundest piece of advice we may give is to try and comply in full with your country’s regulations. In a bit, we will cover how France is slightly different than other countries when it comes to monitoring its industry.
Always make sure you are playing at an online casino in France that has actually been licensed. Failing to do so may cost you dearly if the country’s authorities have not been able to uproot the seedy operator by the time you commit a sustainable sum.
Other than the dangers of running into a cheating operator, there is, of course, the lurking risk of falling victim to gaming itself. Let’s face it, eagerness may often turn into an obsession. France’s beginnings of a regulated industry also mean that the company will also set out to fight addictive behavior, and you will only stand to benefit from that.
In the meanwhile, remember that it is supposed to be fun, do not chase your losses and don’t overindulge in reckless wagers.
Gambling Laws in France
It makes very little difference whether you are an online casino in France or a gamer. The law is the law and it matters, every step of the way. France has been off the charts of all respectable operators until 2010 when legislation changed to ensure that gaming will be regulated – after all, offshore casinos had been accepting French players for years before that.
By bolstering the legal infrastructure at home, well-meaning organisations have been able to assist gamers along with their journey from burgeoning novices to astute pros. The establishment of the ARJEL, the regulatory body of online games, has also been a major watershed moment for the entire organisation.
What may concern you directly as either an operator of online casinos in France or the patron of such establishment is that you will have to be prepared to pay taxes on your proceedings. This is also a commendable move by the government as it checks players who think they can get rich with gaming online right at the very beginnings.
How is the regulated industry good for you as a gamer, though? Put simply, ARJEL makes sure that all bad practices are uprooted and those who try to purvey them are met with swift justice. A general breakdown looks like the following:
- ARJEL makes sure that operators do not promote addictive offers;
- Games are vetted and casinos are audited;
- Illegal websites are met with justice;
- Money-laundering is hit with the full severity of the law;
Regulators may in future seek to consolidate their player base and to open the sluice gates for foreign players, but for the time being France is concerned with addressing its own issue. This is not to say that some of the top online casinos in France will turn down a gamer from abroad and the law is mostly observed in the breach than anything.
Taxes in French Gaming
Taxes in France are quite substantial, especially in poker, for example. We already know that the house will always command a 2% fee, known as the rake. Add to this what the government charges you, and things aren’t looking so good. Overall, players tend to part with 8.5% of their total winnings. It’s a substantial sum by all estimates.
Conversely, we may argue that if you are an adept player and seek to play recreationally, this doesn’t affect you much. If you engage in higher-level plays, then while damaging, this proviso is not of such great importance. Having a clear-cut rule is one thing fewer to worry about after all.
Sites to Avoid
Although we are committed to offering a comprehensive list that will showcase the best online casinos in France, we are equally dedicated to show you which to avoid. Upon inspecting numerous online casinos in France, we have created a list that you can refer to about their reliability and credibility.
