Betsson France wins five-year online poker licence and shared-liquidity approval from France’s ANJ

Betsson France has secured approval to offer online poker in France, plus a separate green light for shared-liquidity tables that can connect eligible players with regulated markets in other European jurisdictions. For PSPs and acquiring teams, the interesting part is not the licence itself so much as the operating conditions: this is a regulated launch, not a “press release and go” situation.

1. France’s Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) adopted two decisions on 15 October 2026 and published them later that month. Decision No. 2026-171 gives Betsson France authorisation to operate online circle games, including poker, under authorisation number 0061-PO-2026-10-15-AGR-00.
2. The poker licence runs for five years from 15 October 2026 and may be renewed. It is non-transferable, so the approval is tied to Betsson France, not something that can be shifted to another entity. The decision identifies betsson.fr as the domain for access to the authorised online poker service.
3. Betsson France submitted its application on 22 June 2026, and the ANJ collegiate board reviewed it before approval. Pascal Chevremont, ANJ president since June 2026, signed the shared-liquidity decision in that capacity.
4. The licence does not mean the service is already live. Before commencing activity, Betsson France must notify the ANJ that the archiving hardware required under French gambling law has been brought into operation. In other words: the legal basis is there, but the pre-launch technical steps still have to be completed.
5. Decision No. 2026-172 also authorises Betsson France to give players with verified, permanent accounts access to shared-liquidity poker tables. Under this framework, players in participating regulated markets can sit at common online poker tables rather than being confined to separate national pools. The ANJ cites a framework involving France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, with operation allowed only under the conditions set by the authority.

For high-risk payment teams, shared liquidity matters because it changes the shape of player activity: a French-facing poker operation can be part of a broader regulated pool, but only if the operator clears local technical and compliance requirements first. That usually means closer attention to account verification, record-keeping and the exact scope of the authorised domain and product.