Despite the crisis, the PMU shows record activity

Betting on horse racing, very popular, is experiencing a resurgence of interest whether in bars or on the Internet. Inflation does not discourage small bettors, on the contrary. Purchasing power at half mast but hope to win with a few euros bet at the base. In reality, the real success is online. Tiercé, quarté, quinté: the stakes on the Internet have doubled since 2019 to approach two billion euros.

The PMU is also online poker and other sports betting, but the horse industry remains a priority. The result excluding horse betting amounts to approximately one billion euros. The main nine billion come from the horse business. And it is the whole of the sector which benefits from it, because the PMU is an Economic Interest Grouping (EIG) placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. On average, the PMU pays 75% of the stakes to the winners, 8% to the horse racing industry and around 9% to the State through gambling taxes.

Strong international presence

For 2022, the contribution paid to the horse racing sector amounts to 830 million euros, a level not reached since 2014. In France, there are 235 racetracks. Out of 500 in Europe, more than half are therefore located in France. There are 18,000 races each year and the horse racing sector represents 180,000 jobs, including 60,000 direct positions spread over 900 stables.

PMU currently sells its bets in 58 countries ranging from Germany to Japan via the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Hong Kong. This year will mark the arrival in Portugal. The quintessential emblem of popular French gaming, the PMU is also the showcase for the famous and annual Grand Prix d’Amérique at the Hippodrome de Vincennes. The 2023 edition was held last week and resulted in 30 million euros in stakes, 20% of which came from abroad.