PMU nominates Eric Woerth as chairman
Woerth has already been working on legacy betting operator’s PMU 2030 Pact with the French government.
France.- The historic French betting operator Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) has announced the nomination of Eric Woerth as chairman of its board. His name was put forward for the role at the PMU Economic Interest Group’s General Assembly on Friday and is subject to clearance from France’s High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP).
The PMU highlighted his background as a former minister and long-serving Member of Parliament for Oise, stating that his political and administrative expertise would be “invaluable” in guiding the organisation. Woerth has stepped down from the National Assembly to take on the new leadership role.
He would succeed Joël Séché and would work closely with new chief executive Cyrille Giraudat to drive reforms and introduce new initiatives aimed at revitalising the French horse racing industry. Giraudat took up his role in December 2025 after Emmanuelle Malecaze-Doublet stepped down due to resistance from the trotting association SETF to her vision of how PMU should adapt to declining betting revenues and structural challenges in the racing sector.
Since September 2025, Woerth has been working with France’s president Emmanuel Macron and government ministers on the so-called “PMU 2030 Pact,” a framework designed to modernise French horseracing and strengthen the position of LeTrot and France Galop.
Traditionally, PMU distributed most of its profits to parent bodies. Woerth’s plan reportedly envisions retaining more capital for reinvestment, while also granting PMU access to debt markets and control over its cash reserves. He argues this would allow modernisation without draining the budgets of racing societies. A new sportsbook developed with Kambi is expected to launch this year to broaden PMU’s offering.
The PMU 2030 Pact has ruled out previous proposals to alter PMU’s ownership model or introduce private capital, reaffirming the state’s view of PMU as a public instrument for sustaining horse racing and rural economies.
