The fee France’s gambling provider Française des Jeux (FDJ) pays for its monopoly to operate lottery games and sports betting is in line with competition rules after adjustments, the European Commission said on Thursday.
The Commission’s decision, which follows an in-depth state aid investigation, confirms the legality of France’s legislation to privatize FDJ, including the company’s exclusive rights to provide lottery games and offline sports betting for 25 years.
Shares in the company rose around 6% higher on the Paris stock exchange by 1411 GMT.
The European Union’s executive body received two complaints in 2020 claiming that FDJ benefited from unjustified state aid because the amount of 380 million euros ($412.98 million), or 15.2 million euros a year, that the company had to pay was too low.
