Groupe Française des Jeux (FDJ) has undertaken a full rebrand to FDJ United amidst a reorganisation of its executive committee as the firm looks to become Europe’s leading gambling operator.
Following substantial acquisitions in the past three years that have seen the firm acquire Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) for €350m, French horseracing betting group ZEturf for €175m and Kindred Group Plc for €2.4bn, FDJ United has separated its operations into four primary business units.
These include French Gambling, European Online Gaming, International Lotteries and IT & Payments technology, covering all of the operator’s key assets and focal points.
In detail, FDJ United’s revised operating strategy will consist of:
- The France Home Unit, responsible for the FDJ lottery and its retail network, as well as the sportsbook activities of Parions Sports.
- Online Betting & Gaming, covering the Kindred portfolio and ZEturf racing.
- International Lottery, comprising Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) and additional future international lottery assets.
- Payments & IT, encompassing the activities of FDJ’s Nirio payment network.
This newly-compartmentalised version of FDJ will be led by Chairwoman and CEO Stéphane Pallez, with Pascal Chaffard, Deputy CEO of Finance, Strategy and Performance supporting her.
Meanwhile, Nils Andén, former CEO of Kindred Group, will serve as Executive Director of Online Betting and Gaming, while Giovanna D’Esposito will head the lottery unit. Patrick Buffard, Director of Lottery and Retail Sports Betting in France, will oversee the French home market business.
Upon announcing the rebrand, FDJ revealed its full-year 2024 accounts, publishing corporate revenues of €3.065bn, an increase of 10% on FY2023’s €2.62bn.
With a margin of approximately 25%, FDJ reported standalone recurring EBITDA of €792m, up 21% on the €657m achieved in 2023. Lottery revenues increased substantially across the year, rising by 29% to €2.1bn.
Growth from the firm’s lottery offering was attributed to an influx of sales from its new Ticket d’Or and new EuroMillions draw games.
Supported by strong performances during the UEFA European Championship and UEFA Champions League, retail betting amounted to €453m. As the firm’s retail betting and lottery units were combined in the ‘France Home Unit’ segment, this unit declared a recurring EBITDA of €886m.
Looking at a pro forma basis, with Kindred assets included, FDJ United’s revenues stood at €3.78bn, combined with a recurring EBITDA of €964m.
Additionally, international lottery revenues came in at €190m, mainly relating to PLI, with the new units contributing recurring EBITDA of €25m, representing around 13.1% of total revenue.
Pallez commented: “FDJ United achieved a very strong performance in 2024. Following the integration of Premier Lotteries Ireland and ZEturf in 2023, the acquisition of Kindred opens a new chapter—more international and more diversified—in the long history of our Group.
“With its position as a leader in betting and gaming in Europe, FDJ United has a sturdy base from which to pursue its strategy of creating value for the benefit of all its stakeholders, in keeping with its business model that combines performance and responsibility.”
FDJ United closed FY2024 trading with a lower corporate net profit of €399m (FY2023: €425m). Leadership has initiated a Cost Reduction & Efficiency programme, aiming to secure €100m in cost-saving synergies.
Despite its expansion, FDJ United has provided a stable revenue guidance of €3.8bn for 2025, as the group navigates regulatory impacts.
Backlash from rebrand
Changing its name from the French language ‘Groupe Française des Jeu’ to English language ‘FDJ United’ has sparked some outrage from defenders of the French language, with former Republicans MP Jacques Myard declaring it “a scandal”.
The decision to make the operator of France’s national lottery appear in English caused Myard to “denounce it strongly” as “inadmissible”.
Readers of French national newspaper Le Figaro also outlined their disappointment, stating: “It’s ridiculous to give yourself an English name to look European when the English have left the EU.”
However, Pallez defended the decision as part of FDJ’s “historic new chapter” as the reorganised brand looks to become “more diversified and more international”.