Betsson France gets ANJ online poker licence and clearance for shared tables with Spain, Italy and Portugal
France's ANJ has licensed Betsson France for online poker, making it the ninth holder on the regulator's list. A second decision allows shared liquidity with Spain, Italy and Portugal, subject to conditions.
GamblingSource: European Gaming
Betsson France has been granted an online poker licence by France's gambling regulator, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ). The approval makes the company the ninth operator on the ANJ's list of poker licence holders.
The ANJ board adopted two decisions on 15 October 2026, and both were published in the Journal officiel on 23 October. Decision No 2026-171 grants the poker licence itself, while No 2026-172 covers shared poker liquidity. Betsson France applied for the licence on 22 June 2026. The licence lasts five years from 15 October 2026 and can be renewed but not transferred. The poker offer must be run on betsson.fr.
Before launching, Betsson France must notify the ANJ that its data archiving system is operational. It then has six months to file its first certification. A second certification, covering game integrity and information security, is due within one year of the licence being issued.
The second decision allows Betsson France's players to sit at tables shared with other countries. It falls under the shared poker liquidity agreement signed on 6 July 2017 by regulators in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Those are the ANJ (formerly ARJEL), Spain's DGOJ, Italy's ADM and Portugal's SRIJ, part of Turismo de Portugal.
The authorisation carries three conditions. Every regulator involved must agree to the shared tables, and the gaming software used for them must be approved. Betsson France must also inform the ANJ of any change to the arrangement, such as a new party joining the liquidity-sharing contract or the contract ending.
Betsson France has held an online sports betting licence since 21 September 2023, when the group entered the French market through a joint venture with a local partner. The ANJ's list of licensed operators, dated 15 October 2026, shows it with two licences: fixed-odds sports betting and poker. It holds no licence for horse racing betting. Other poker licence holders include B.E.S. SAS, Betclic Enterprises Limited, FDJ Online Betting and Gaming France, Hillside (New Media Malta) PLC, La Française des Jeux, Pari Mutuel Urbain, Reel Malta Limited and Winamax. According to its third-quarter 2026 report, Betsson holds gaming licences in 22 countries across the group.
Based on reporting by European Gaming.