Slight 2.2 percent bump
Like other struggling countries in the European Union, France is looking at any and all ways to get an economic boost—including the gaming industry.
According to the Casino News Daily, a year-on-year boost in gaming revenues at France’s 201 gaming halls has legislators taking a closer look at a possible expansion of the industry, even into the City of Lights.
Factoring in the 2.2 percent increase, casinos in France generated €2.2 billion (US$2.4 billion) to the nation’s economy last year—the first time gaming in seven years the industry has spiked upward.
It’s not just Paris that may open the doors to casinos. CalvinAyre.com reports that the Marseilles Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin will open a public tender to develop a casino in hopes of adding 500 jobs and €10 million in annual tax revenues. He points to the example of Deauville, which draws 30 percent of its local budget from gaming taxes, and other towns, which generate as much as 80 percent of government revenues from the taxes.
