Figures released by the autorité de régulation des jeux en ligne, France’s independent online gaming regulator, reported a €17.3 million decline in the country’s regulated online poker revenues in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to the previous quarter.
Online cash game revenue decreased by €23.8 million compared to 2013.
While tournament revenue was up slightly, cash games revenues have declined by 33 percent in the last three years.
Analysts trace recent cash game declines to PokerStars.fr and Winamax.fr both pulling out of the United Kingdom gaming marketplace following the passage of the country’s Gambling Act. Another factor may be the introduction of lottery-style tournaments in the market, which offer much quicker turnover than regular tournaments.
The quick tournaments are seen to be helping tournament play, but don’t attract potential cash game players.
