ANJ clears Betsson for French online poker

• Betsson France becomes the ninth company licensed to offer online poker in France.
• A second decision opens conditional access to tables shared with Spain, Italy and Portugal.
• No launch date yet, with archiving and certification steps still to clear

Betsson France has won an online poker licence from the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), becoming the ninth company cleared to run poker in the country.

A second decision opens a route to tables shared with Spain, Italy and Portugal, but only once every regulator involved signs off and the gaming software is approved.

The ninth chair

The ANJ board adopted both decisions at its meeting on 15 October 2026, according to the regulator’s official minutes. Decision No 2026-171 grants Betsson France an online poker licence. Decision No 2026-172 authorises it to share poker liquidity.

The licence runs for five years from 15 October. It can be renewed but not transferred, according to the licence decision. The authorised poker offering must be accessible through betsson.fr. Betsson France had applied on 22 June.

A day later, ANJ president Pascal Chevremont signed a separate decision approving the operator’s “Plateforme Poker” software. It was published on the regulator’s website on 29 October.

Betsson joins a list of poker licensees that already includes Winamax, PokerStars operator Reel Malta, Betclic, bet365’s Hillside entity, B.E.S. (bwin and partypoker), FDJ’s Unibet business, La Française des Jeux and PMU. All nine now compete for French poker players.

More players, thinner wallets

Betsson is entering a segment that is growing. Online poker GGR rose 13.4% to €290 million in the first half of 2026, according to the ANJ’s semi-annual report. The same period a year earlier was broadly flat.

Sit & Go tournaments generated €202 million, or 70% of poker revenue. The report puts poker’s share of France’s €1.45 billion online market at 20%. The wider regulated market grew just 0.5%.

The player base is expanding far faster than revenue. Active poker accounts climbed 38.5% to 2.3 million, and poker players now make up 44% of unique online players, up from 38% a year earlier.

Each account is worth less, though. Average GGR per active account fell 18%, from €153 to €126. Operators also spent more to keep players, with poker bonuses rising 11% to €50.9 million.

Shared tables, with strings

The liquidity decision sits under a 2017 agreement between the regulators of France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. It could let betsson.fr players sit at the same tables as players in those markets.

The approval does not plug Betsson into all three markets automatically. Each regulator involved must agree to the arrangement, and the gaming software must be approved for cross-border play.

Betsson France must also report any change to its liquidity-sharing contract to the ANJ. That includes a new partner joining or the contract ending.

Sportsbook first, poker second

Betsson France has held a sports betting licence since 21 September 2023, according to the ANJ’s original decision. It holds no horse racing licence.

Poker will run on Playtech’s iPoker network, which already powers French poker for FDJ, PMU and bet365. Bet365 took the same route. It launched its sportsbook in May and added poker over the summer.

Nadir Ounissi, partner at Betsson France, said:

“Securing our online poker licence marks an important milestone for Betsson in France. With Playtech’s established poker platform, we aim to offer players a compelling experience that reflects our commitment to quality, customer service and responsible gaming.”

Not a casino bet

France still limits online gambling to sports betting, horse racing betting and poker. Online casino remains outside the legal framework. Plans to change that have drawn pushback from the land-based casino lobby.

Asked whether the poker move anticipated a wider opening, Betsson said in a statement:

“Our decision is based on the French poker market as it stands today, rather than expectations of future regulatory change. Any extension of the regulated offering is a matter for French lawmakers, and we would not speculate on that process.”

The licence arrives at a sensitive moment for the group. Betsson posted record third-quarter revenue last month, but profit fell 44%.

A busy month in Paris

Betsson was not the only item on the ANJ’s agenda. At the same 15 October meeting, the board adopted an anti-money laundering guide for companies offering games with monetisable digital objects (JONUM), France’s experimental regime for Web3-style games.

The board also amended the formula of its problem gambling algorithm, which flags excessive or pathological players using data from operators’ archiving systems. It cleared FDJ to run modified versions of Loto and a new lottery game, Combo Trio.

On 23 October, the regulator approved updated account terms for PMU’s PMU+ customers.

The decisions follow a tougher line on operator conduct. In September, the ANJ told licensees to gather stronger proof before blocking accounts or withholding funds over suspected fraud.

The archiving clock

No go-live date has been set. Before launch, Betsson France must declare to the ANJ that its data archiving system is running, the licence decision states. It then has six months to file a first certification.

A second certification, covering game integrity and information security, is due within a year of the licence award. It must then be updated annually.

The speed of those steps will decide when Betsson can start offering poker to its French sportsbook customers. Every month of delay gives rivals longer to lock in a fast-growing player base.

The bigger question sits outside France. Until the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese regulators sign off, betsson.fr tables will rely on French players alone, in a market where each account is already worth less than a year ago.