Laurent Lassiaz, CEO of Groupe Joa, France’s second-largest casino operator, has pushed back against the narrative that legalised online gaming would cannibilise the country’s established land-based sector. Speaking to iGB, Lassiaz argued that iCasino and physical casinos serve fundamentally different customer bases and playing preferences, suggesting the two markets can flourish independently.

A Career Built on Customer Experience

Lassiaz’s path to the casino industry is unconventional but revealing. After cutting his teeth running operations for KFC and Pizza Hut across France and Europe, he spent a decade at Club Med developing consistent customer experiences across disparate markets and workforces. That hospitality background, frankly, translated naturally to gaming.

“The casino business is really about the experience you build around the gaming product,” Lassiaz notes. “You buy the maths, you design everything else. The F&B, the entertainment, the service quality, the design of the space itself.” That’s where you differentiate.

With 33 properties under its banner, Groupe Joa operates within France’s carefully curated land-based ecosystem. The country maintains just over 200 casinos, ranging from modest slots-and-tables venues to integrated resorts. Here’s the thing, though: France prohibits pure slot halls. Gaming must include classic table games, mirroring the Las Vegas model.

The Generational Divide

Lassiaz identifies a critical demographic split that undermines fears of market cannibalisation. France’s current casino player base skews older, drawn by the social ritual and experience. These patrons arrive with a defined budget and play for time and companionship as much as winnings.

Younger players gravitate toward table games and electronic variants where perceived control and strategic involvement feel more present. They chase monetary outcomes rather than experience. This younger cohort represents the growth opportunity for iGaming, where lower stakes and accessibility appeal to digital natives.

Slots generate between 75 and 82 percent of France’s €2.8 billion casino GGR, and they attract the older demographic disproportionately. Their introduction in the early 1980s transformed French casinos, but Lassiaz suggests they lack the engagement younger players now demand.

The Offshore Reality

France’s unregulated online market reportedly generates around €1.5 billion annually. That’s both lost tax revenue and the continent’s most substantial offshore gambling economy. Lassiaz’s position implicitly acknowledges this reality: legalisation would formalise existing demand rather than create it.

Monaco’s position as an outlier further illustrates the point. That principality attracts international high-rollers and tourists seeking prestige and exclusivity, not locals seeking convenience or affordability. French land-based casinos, by contrast, exist as community anchors in their respective regions.

The data supports Lassiaz’s thesis. Different player psychographics, access patterns, and value propositions suggest iGaming and land-based gaming occupy distinct market spaces in France. Whether regulators embrace that reality through formalised iCasino remains a political question, not a competitive one.