Online gambling law and regulation in France

Three types of online gambling are licensed in France:

• Horserace betting;
• Sports betting; and
• “Club games” (defined as “pooled games based on chance and skill, in which a player, after the intervention of chance, decides, upon observing the behaviours of other players, on a strategy that is likely to modify his/her expected winnings” - to date online poker is the only game authorised (both in cash games and tournaments).

The National Gambling Authority (ANJ), in cooperation with sports federations, decides on the list of sporting events on which bets can be taken and phases of the game during which bets can be taken. Only horse races approved by an order of the Ministry of Agriculture can be subject to online betting.

Online casino games and gaming machines were excluded from the partial liberalisation of online gambling in France.
Online lotteries are subject to the state monopoly of Française des Jeux (FDJ).

1. Poker