UK iGaming superstars bet365 have scored a French gambling licence just in time for the World Cup. But the company is set to enter Europe’s most heavily taxed gambling market amid mounting tax and levy increases.
Midlands, Stoke-on-Trent-based bet365 is launching cross-Channel after securing regulatory approval from France’s regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), to operate online sports betting.
Granted to bet365’s Malta affiliate Hillside, the licence came into effect on April 16 and is valid for five-years.
Bet365 is yet to confirm a launch date but it is expected to go live ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, which kicks off on June 11.
Timing
The iconic British bookie is set to enter the French market at a difficult moment.
While France remains one of Europe’s largest gambling markets–ranked third by GGR after Italy and the UK–conditions have tightened, and some operators are feeling the squeeze.
According to the ANJ, total gross gambling revenue (GGR) rose three percent in 2025 to €14.1 billion (£12.2bn). Online gambling was the main engine of growth, up 8.5 percent to €2.62 billion (£2.27bn) and accounting for 18.5 percent of the total gambling market.
Online gambling includes lottery, horse racing and sports betting. Of these activities, sports betting was the strongest vertical, up 10.4 percent, accounting for €1.76 billion (£1.52bn) of the combined online GGR.
Impact
But these growth rates reflect only half of the picture.
France raised gambling taxes last July from an already eye-wateringly high 54.9 percent to 59.3 percent, further squeezing already super-tight operator margins.
And the impact is already showing, with some operators like the country’s biggest, FDJ United (formerly La Française des Jeux)–which held the state monopoly on betting between 1985-2010 and now controls roughly 50 percent of the market–recording a total revenue drop of three percent, year-on-year, for its 2026 Q1.
Looking specifically at French sports betting, the company’s GGR dropped by 3.6 percent, which it attributed to the increasing tax rate.
However–and no doubt encouraging for bet365’s fiscal calculations–, the tax effect was not consistent across the board and some operators, like Betsson, recorded growth.
Strong Projections
Long-term, France’s online market is still expected to expand.
H2 Gambling Capital forecasts that France’s regulated online gambling market GGR will rise from €2.62 billion (£2.27bn) in 2025 to €2.84 billion (£2.46bn) in 2026, before slowing to €2.9 billion (£2.51bn) in 2027 – and then picking up again in 2028, reaching €3.16 billion (£2.73bn).
That translates to growth of around eight percent in 2026, dropping to two percent in 2027, before rebounding to roughly nine percent in 2028.
Calculated
While high tax rates and strict regulations may be causing some volatility, the attractions of operating in La France remain clear.
As Europe’s third-largest gambling market, it is one of the few European jurisdictions where bet365 is not yet active.
And launching ahead of the World Cup presents a ready-made acquisition and retention opportunity for the experienced multi-national operator.
Despite the high taxation and strict controls, there’s still much left to play for.
