The European Commission has concluded (31 October) that the increased remuneration paid by Française des Jeux (FDJ) to the French government for the extension of its exclusive lottery and sports betting rights aligns with EU State aid rules. After an in-depth investigation, the Commission approved an increase in FDJ’s total payment to €477 million, up from an initial €380 million.
FDJ, one of Europe’s largest lottery operators, was granted exclusive rights to operate offline and online lottery games and offline sports betting for 25 years following its 2019 privatisation under France’s PACTE law. Concerns were raised in 2020 through complaints to the Commission, alleging that the €380 million payment undervalued the 25-year exclusivity, potentially giving FDJ an unfair advantage.
The Commission’s investigation examined whether the remuneration accurately reflected market value. Following discussions with the Commission, adjustments were made to the calculation methodology, leading to the €97 million increase. Satisfied with the revised payment, the Commission concluded that the agreement does not constitute State aid and cleared it under EU rules.
A non-confidential version of the decision will soon be available under case numbers SA.56399 and SA.56634 on the Commission’s competition website.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_5602
