Rebranded FDJ United reports double-digit growth
The French gambling giant posted revenue growth of 16.9 per cent year-on-year.
France.- Following the announcement of the new FDJ operating structure and executive committee, the French gambling giant has launched a rebrand alongside its full-year financial results for 2024. La Française des Jeux will now call itself FDJ United to reflect its global expansion following its acquisitions of Premiere Lotteries Ireland and Kindred to become Europe’s second-biggest gambling group after Flutter Entertainment.
Regarding the rebrand, the company stated: “The new name reflects the group’s European scale while paying tribute to its roots, its history and what makes it unique. The new FDJ United name reaffirms the group’s historic name, FDJ, and combines it with United reflecting its international development. FDJ United is the group’s new corporate brand, with a new brand signature, ‘Playful. Play fair. Play forward’.”
While the new name covers all the group’s businesses across all the countries in which it operates, it will continue to trade as FDJ in France owing to the long brand history in the country.
FDJ United 2024 results
FDJ posted revenue growth of 16.9 per cent year-on-year to €3.07bn for 2024. EBITDA rose by 20.6 per cent to €792m. The group did not provide separate results for Kindred, which it bought for €2.45bn in October.
While results were strong, the company is preparing to absorb the impact of higher gambling tax in France from July. It expects the tax hike to reduce revenue and recurring EBITDA by around €45m this year and €90m from 2026. Half of this will be through online gambling under Kindred, which will also be impacted by the rise in gambling tax in the Netherlands.
FDJ United reported French lottery and retail sports betting revenue of €2.5bn for 2024. That’s a rise of 5.8 per cent year-on-year. Lottery generated €2.05bn and retail sports betting €453m, boosted by Euro 2024 and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Online betting and gaming net revenue reached €1.03bn, 51 per cent of which came from online casino gaming. International lottery reached €190.5m and the company’s Nivio payment app contributed €64.4m.
The group forecast revenue of €3.6bn for 2025 despite the expected tax impacts and tighter regulations in the UK and Ireland.
FDJ United new business structure and executive committee
The new FDJ structure sees the business reorganised into four units: French lottery and retail sports betting, online betting and gaming, international lottery and, finally, payment and services, which includes the Nirio payment services launched in 2022.
If France decides to regulate online casino, that will fall under the online betting and gaming division, alongside the existing poker offering. The French lottery and retail sports betting arm will oversee all points of sale and online and retail sports betting. International lottery includes Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), which FDJ bought in 2023.
The company said the new structure “highlights the digitalisation, diversification and globalisation” of its activities and “the latest phase in the organisational transformation of the group” which is now present in nearly 15 countries.
“These four business units will be supported by cross-functional departments covering areas such as innovation, technology, digital acceleration, data and AI as well as group functions,” it said.
FDJ’s new executive committee includes Kindred CEO Nils Andén as chief online betting and gaming officer. CEO Stéphane Pallez, deputy CEO Charles Lantieri and chief financial officer Pascal Chaffard stay in their existing roles while Patrick Buffard has been promoted from French lottery general manager to chief French lottery and retail sports betting officer.
The team also sees Giovanna d’Esposito step into the role of chief international lottery officer. Raphaël Botbol joins the committee as chief payment and services officer, while Valérie Berche serves as chief audit and risks officer and Dominique Cavalié as chief HR and transformation officer. Other members are chief technology officer Xavier Etienne, chief executive advisor Cécile Lagé, chief communications officer Nathalie Le Garlantezec, general counsel Elisabeth Monégier du Sorbier and chief sustainability officer Vincent Perrotin.
The team is completed by chief digital, data and AI officer Sébastien Rozanes and chief regulatory officer Celia Vero. Strategy director Jonathan Gindt and public affairs director Yann Paternoster will also attend executive committee meetings.
