The French Betting Industry Surges During 2018 FIFA World Cup

France qualified for another finally, this time at World Cup 2018 and are favorites to lift the trophy. After the Euro 2016 eluded them as they were defeated by Portugal, they are entitled to be optimistic. The prospect of their national team winning the most important football trophy in the world has stirred the hearts and minds of French punters. Their interest for the competition in general and the national team in particular was so great that they set a new betting record.

Numbers Speak Louder Than Words

Arjel is the French gambling regulator and it recently shared its official statistics with the whole world. We know that during the group stage matches, French players spent a massive amount of $363 million. This is twice as much as the amount invested during the same stage of World Cup 2014 and more than the €290 million bet on the entire Euro 2014.

Arjel is yet to disclose information about the players’ betting habits during the elimination rounds, but we can expect the numbers to be just as impressive. Less than half of the amount spent by French punters was wagered locally at the Francaise de Jeux points of sale. This means that the rest of the money was wagered online, at the dozen licensed online bookmakers.

The French Government Privatizes the FDJ

It is perhaps not a coincidence that Arjel decided to disclose its official statistics right now, when the Francaise de Jeux is being privatized. There’s a lot of interest for this company and its newfound popularity among French punters. In any case, these numbers are likely to be greatly improved over the next couple of days. The match between Brazil and Switzerland currently holds the record for the highest betting volume with €17 million. We have good reasons to expect the final to generate even more traction with punters, especially if France ends up playing against England.