Key Points
- Betsson France got their hands on France’s ninth and final (for now) poker licence on 15 October, 2026, good for a 5-year period with no immediate plans to get the tables going.
- If you want to launch shared poker tables, you’re going to have to get approval from just about every authority and the software needs a proper tick of approval too.
- Betsson are adamant they’re not looking to get into the online casino business, but we reckon they might have their eyes on the 1.38 million folk who enjoy a nice mix of sports betting and poker.
Betsson Gets Its Poker License, but Still Playing ‘When’
Betsson France now has this shiny new poker license but, ironically, it still can’t get its poker room open for play. The ANJ gave it the green light on 15 October 2026, putting them on the list as France’s 9th licensed poker operator. We only found out about it 13 days later, on 28 October, via trade reports. There’s been no word on a launch date from Betsson, so the French poker crowd is left twiddling their thumbs, waiting for them to finally fire up their first poker tables.
Betsson’s business partner Nadir Ounissi called the license “a significant milestone” for Betsson in France. They’re not going to have it easy, though; there’s already a pretty established group of players including FDJ, Winamax, Betclic, and PMU. Not to mention, Betsson is claiming their poker plans have absolutely nothing to do with possibly expanding into the online casino world. That’s pretty interesting, considering what a couple of the regulatory documents and one key person at the ANJ have been saying.
What Did the ANJ Approve, and What’s Still Left to Tackle?
The ANJ made two decisions on 15 October, and both were listed in the Journal officiel on 23 October. One license grants Betsson the go-ahead to operate a poker room and the other lets them get on with shared liquidity. They submitted their application for the license on 22 June, 2026, so we’re looking at a review time of less than 4 months.
The new license gives them permission to run a poker room from 15 October, 2026 for a 5-year period. Their tables all have to run from betsson.fr and, when it comes time to renew, they can apply but they can’t hand the license on to someone else.
They’ve got a few hoops to jump through before and after that though. Before they can open the doors, Betsson France needs to confirm their data archiving system is in working order. They’ve also got a new certification to get after that, which is due for a big review after 6 months.
Three More Hurdles Before Betsson Can Deal Out Their First Hand
Having a poker license doesn’t give Betsson automatic access to shared tables. The ANJ also gave them permission to share liquidity with poker rooms in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. This is all part of that 2017 agreement between regulators from the 4 countries and lets them join up and play together.
The agreement was signed in Rome on July 6th, 2017, and basically lets each country’s regulator approve (or not approve) their shared liquidity plans. So you see, getting shared tables up just isn’t that easy.
Two more hoops to jump through before they can start dealing out shared tables. First off, every regulator involved has to give their say so and then second off, the software needs to get all proper and approved. It’s a permanent thing too, they’ll have to keep reporting.
Playtech Has Been Chosen By Betsson, Not By the Regulator
When talking to NEXT.io about its French poker ambitions, Betsson said it is based on its sportsbook, its experience with poker and the quality of Playtech’s iPoker product.
Betsson named Playtech as its chosen partner and explained the decision as follows: “With Playtech’s proven poker offering, we are striving to provide players with a compelling experience through our promise of quality, customer service, and responsible gambling.”
The cooperation comes directly from Betsson’s declarations so it is supposed to be considered as the plan of the operator but not any guarantee from the regulator.
Playtech has already been partnering with two major French poker sites. FDJ joined iPoker.EU in July 2023, while PMU followed in February 2025.
Betsson and Playtech have been cooperating in terms of casino gaming.
French Poker Market Has Great Potential For Development
The company will enter the growing French market where the revenue generated from poker as well as the number of active players has been increasing.
According to ANJ, online poker gross gaming revenue stood at €525 million in 2025 showing an annual growth of 6.5%.
The first six months of 2026 showed online poker gross gaming revenue of €290 million, up 13.4% YoY. 70% of the revenue has come from Sit&Go tournaments.
Active poker accounts have also grown by 39% in the first half of 2026.
Nowadays, quick tournament formats bring the majority of the poker revenue which may work for Betsson that has created its French branch with the focus on sports betting.
Betsson’s Sportsbook Has Taken More Time Than Expected
Betsson started operating in France with the ANJ sports betting licence issued on 21 September 2023. Betsson announced it a week later and claimed it would start its operations in that country by the end of that year.
The sportsbook appeared only in Q3 2024, according to NEXT.io. Betsson’s chief executive, Pontus Lindwall, used to say that France is “a market with great long-term potential for online gaming”.
The Betsson sportsbook works with Sportradar while OMEGA Systems manages player accounts.
The French sports betting market has shown some growth even before Betsson launched its sportsbook. Stakes of all licensed operators in H1 2023 amounted to €4.18 billion, up 5%. Gross gaming revenue has grown 10% to €750 million in the same period.
Betsson Rejects an Online Casino Theory
NEXT.io asked if there is any correlation between Betsson’s poker launch and an attempt to enter the online casino sector, which might be considered by France in the following years.
The company rejected such a speculation. “Our decision is based on the French poker market as it is today and not on expectation of any future changes to regulation,” Betsson stated.
It also stated that it sees any extension of the regulated offer as “an issue for French lawmakers”. Betsson added that it would continue to “work constructively with the ANJ” in accordance with current regulations.
Expert Opinion: The Casino Theory Is Too Simple
Obviously, the poker launch means preparation by Betsson for the future online casino launch. We are not convinced, and the company’s statement is not the reason for our scepticism.
According to the ANJ’s 2025 review, there were 1.38 million users of the sports betting and poker services. This number had grown to 183,000. The French sportsbook from Betsson was launched only in Q3 2024, and thus, it had an opportunity to get more customers.
We see the poker licence as a tool for retaining its sports bettors and keeping them with one brand.
Ounissi described Betsson’s 2023 sportsbook as “designed specifically for recreational players”. Sit&Go tournaments can attract the same customer category. Those who consider the poker launch as a test for online casinos also have reasonable arguments as Betsson and Playtech already cooperate in their live casino tables.
Nevertheless, we did not find anything in the ANJ’s regulations stating that licence holders will have any advantage in case of the online casinos’ legalisation in France. Betsson’s statement should be taken into account too.
Nine licensed operators make the market look crowded, but a licence list is only confirmation of the permission to operate. It does not tell us anything about the number of players in every room.
In case Betsson decides to use the same iPoker.EU network as FDJ and PMU, it will have to operate on the platform with two French operators. We should not ignore the company’s launch schedule too. The sportsbook was delayed in comparison with the initial plan and launched in Q3 2024, although it was planned to open before the end of 2023. Betsson must confirm that its data archiving system is running.
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