Sports betting takes off in France with the Olympic Games

By August 11, when the Paris Olympics end, sports betting in France will have reached 360 million euros, according to estimates by the French National Games Authority (ANJ). According to FranceInfo, the most popular sports are tennis, followed by football, but other sports such as rugby, handball, basketball and swimming are also outperforming. Three times more than in Tokyo What is striking is that, although these bets are still lower than during football competitions, they are three times higher than at the previous Tokyo Olympics.

In the first week alone, bets in France reached 125 million euros, more than the total wagered in 2021 (122 million euros). This affects both online bets and those placed at the Française des Jeux's sales points.

According to the ANJ, the explanation lies in the general enthusiasm for Paris 2024. In addition, for French bettors, there is no time difference between matches and events, which makes it easier to follow the competitions.

A record for swimming

This year, swimming, which generated nearly 5.5 million euros in bets, is breaking its record in particular thanks to the Léon Marchand phenomenon, which has aroused the enthusiasm of an entire nation. During the first week of competition, it generated 450,000 bets, for a total of nearly 4 million euros, or nearly three-quarters of the bets placed on swimming, notes FranceInfo.

But it is not just France that is concerned: sports betting is also enjoying enormous success in the rest of the world. The ANJ estimates that around 10 billion dollars will be wagered in total, an amount also greater than in Tokyo. And for the first time, 2% of total bets will be returned to the organisers of Paris 2024.

A remarkable fact: according to Corentin Segalen, responsible for the fight against the manipulation of sports competitions at the ANJ, this year, in France and abroad, there are many more "patriotic" bets.