A fresh competitor is set to join the French wagering sector just in time for the 2025 FIFA World Cup.
France.- British-based Bet365 will enter the French betting industry after receiving authorization from the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) to run online sports betting. The company, which has also been growing in the US and other parts of Europe, submitted a license request in January via its affiliate Hillside (New Media Malta).
The approval’s scheduling ensures a fresh service will debut on the fierce French online wagering market during the vital timeframe of the FIFA World Cup. Bet365 will be the first significant overseas operator in many years to break into a market ruled by Betclic, Winamax, FDJ United via Unibet and the horse racing expert PMU, which just introduced its PMU Play app to offer sports betting to racing enthusiasts.
France represents a developed, strictly controlled market where online casino play remains unregulated and where current operators have been dealing with the difficulty created by the French gambling tax hike effective July 2025. In that tough environment, Bet365’s scale provides it with some room to absorb initial losses while it strives to capture market share, mirroring the strategy it employed in Australia and the US.
It is anticipated that this fresh entrant into the French marketplace might trigger an uptick in promotional efforts across all operators. Bet365 already enjoys high global visibility thanks to its UEFA Champions League sponsorship, valid through 2027. It can now promote itself directly using its brand name during UCL games at French venues, swapping out its earlier “Follow Scores” branding. The ANJ has previously cautioned operators against overdoing advertising during the World Cup.
Bet365 posted revenue of £4bn for the fiscal year ending March 2025, an increase of 9 per cent compared to the previous year. Sports betting income rose by 5 per cent while online casino earnings climbed by 25 per cent. Profits dropped by 41 per cent to £349m because of expenses tied to its growth.