Bet365 cleared to launch in France ahead of World Cup
Table of contents
- France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux granted Bet365 an online sports betting licence on 16 April, opening the door for the British operator to enter the French market before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- The application was filed in January via subsidiary Hillside (New Media Malta) Plc, in what analysts describe as a significant new entry for the French market.
- Incumbent operators Betclic, Winamax and Unibet have dominated French online sports betting since the market’s inception, but Betclic’s founder has acknowledged Bet365’s considerable brand power.
Bet365 has received an online sports betting licence from France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), positioning the British operator to enter one of Europe’s most tightly regulated markets before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in North America.
The licence decision followed a scheduled ANJ board meeting held the week prior and was announced on 23 April. Bet365 submitted its application through its subsidiary Hillside (New Media Malta) Plc in January.
The license lists bet365.fr as the authorised domain, is valid for five years and is renewable.
Market entry timing
The operator had set the World Cup as its target deadline for going live in France, and the ANJ approval means it can now begin marketing to French players ahead of the tournament. The arrival is expected to push up the cost of media inventory, with affiliates preparing promotional campaigns for the coming weeks.
Bet365’s global UEFA Champions League sponsorship, which runs until 2027, will allow it to display its brand name in French stadiums during UCL matches, replacing the Follow Scores branding it had previously advertised there.
Regulatory constraints
France’s regulatory framework presents distinct challenges for the operator. The country’s strictly regulated and limited betting offer constrains Bet365’s usual room for differentiation, and the mandatory 85% return-to-player ratio means it will not be able to apply the best-price, low-margin model it typically follows in other markets.
Under ANJ rules, Bet365 will also be unable to offer certain bet types common elsewhere, including Asian handicap markets, which are prohibited in France. France permits only sports betting, horse racing and poker online, with casino verticals remaining prohibited. Bet365 holds a sports betting licence; no official confirmation of a broader product scope at launch has been issued.
Nicolas Béraud, founder and president of Betclic, acknowledged the new rival’s credentials while downplaying direct overlap. Speaking to Les Echos, Béraud said:
“Bet365 was strong enough to impact all operators as it has a ‘powerful brand’, but its ‘historic English model, with fairly technical bets on which sophisticated players wager large sums of money’ was different to Betclic’s, which is better suited to the French market.”
Financial backdrop
Bet365’s most recent annual results show a business investing heavily in new regulated markets. Revenue rose approximately 9% to around £4bn in the year to end-March 2025, driven by growth in both sports betting and online casino.
Profits fell sharply over the same period as operating costs increased significantly, reflecting expenditure tied to regulated market entries.
The French licence adds to a busy period of activity across Bet365’s wider business. In the US, the operator launched sportsbook and casino operations in Michigan on 17 April, its 17th US sports betting state and third US iGaming jurisdiction.
Earlier in April it ended credit card deposits across all US markets, bringing it in line with DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM. In March it departed the American Gaming Association, citing the trade body’s focus on the retail casino sector.
With France’s online sports betting market heading for a record year ahead of the World Cup, Bet365’s impact will depend on how well it adapts to tighter product rules and limited room for differentiation.
For operators and investors tracking its global expansion, the coming months will show whether its brand recognition can convert into meaningful market share in one of Europe’s most competitive licensed markets.
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