Offshore brands capture 83.9% of French gambling search demand as October interest surges, Blask says
Blask data shows offshore-classified brands took 83.9% of online gambling search demand in France in early October, up from 67.5% in September, as overall search more than doubled during a period of national unrest.
GamblingSource: European Gaming
Brands that Blask classifies as offshore took the largest share of the surge in French gambling search interest this autumn, according to new data from the iGaming analytics company. Between 29 September and 12 October 2026 they accounted for 83.9% of online gambling search demand in France, compared with 67.5% in the two weeks to 20 September.
Blask compared average daily search interest across two 14-day windows, 7 to 20 September and 29 September to 12 October. Overall daily search demand in the French gambling market more than doubled between them, with activity strongest in early October. The company linked the increase to a period of nationwide demonstrations and public-sector unrest that began with school blockades in late September. Search interest was already declining by the time further demonstrations took place on 17 and 24 October.
The offshore category's share of the Blask Index rose by 16.4 percentage points over the period. Operators licensed by the French regulator, the ANJ, increased their absolute search demand by about 25%, but their activity remained below the levels seen in August. Blask attributed roughly half of the overall rise to two brands: Leon, whose daily index value rose more than tenfold, and gtBet, which first appeared in Blask's French data on 29 September. Even without gtBet, French search demand almost doubled, which Blask said pointed to wider growth across many offshore casino brands. Although interest eased toward the end of October, offshore brands retained a bigger share of demand than before the spike.
Blask tied the split to the structure of the French regulated market. The ANJ licenses online sports betting, horse-race betting and poker, while casino games and online slots are not authorised. According to Blask, this steers French demand for online casino products toward operators licensed in other jurisdictions. The figures also fit a seasonal pattern, as Blask data identified October as the global peak of iGaming activity in 2025.
Blask stressed the limits of the measure. The Blask Index tracks relative online search demand using a Share of Search approach, so the percentages describe proportions of the index. They are not gross gaming revenue, website traffic, player numbers or financial market share. The company published its full analysis of French gambling search demand, including the underlying charts, on 28 October 2026.
Based on reporting by European Gaming.