French Online Poker Market Continues To Decline

France's online gambling regulator ARJEL has announced the latest online poker results for the country, noting that revenues continue to drop because of less players and money being staked.

ARJEL released the new quarterly numbers, and revealed that revenues have slid for the last six quarters. Cash stake games were down 16% for the quarter to €1.27 billion, with overall revenues down 9% to €63 million.

Active player accounts were also down 7% for the quarter, with 273,000 active players within France's borders. Recreational players appear to be a key segment of the population leaving poker, as players depositing €100 or less dropped by 11%. Young players are also not playing as often, as punters in the 18 to 24 year old age range accounted for 18% of the total player base -- a drop of 3%.

Although online poker traffic is down around the globe, the number's in France are higher than average. The country has implemented a higher tax rate and strict betting laws that have caused many operators to leave the market. The lack of player liquidity also appears to have harmed the online poker market in country, and the country will likely need to discuss compacts with other markets in order to remedy the situation.