More online poker licenses granted in France

The nine new licenses issued included other forms of online gambling. They were: CanalWin (canalwin.fr, canal-win.fr): sports betting Jeux 365 (paris365.fr, jeux365.fr, poker365.fr, football365.fr): sports betting Geny Infos (genbet.fr); pari-mutuel horse betting Zeturf France (zeturf.fr): pari-mutuel horse betting FullFun (pokerxtrem.fr): poker LB Poker (barrierepoker.fr): poker AD Astra (pokersubito.fr): poker PKR France SAS (pkr.fr): poker Rekop (fulltiltpoker.fr): poker Full Tilt Poker’s main competitor, PokerStars (the number one global room in terms of overall players) had already been granted a license in France.

PokerScout.com, which monitors traffic of real cash players in online poker rooms has already begun to list the French entities separate. Ace King, Gambling911.com.

Fulltiltpoker.fr was awarded a poker licence through its French operating company Rekop, alongside PKR’s pkr.fr, LB Poker’s barrierepoker.fr, FullFun’s pokerxtrem.fr and AD Astra’s pokersubito.fr.

Full Tilt wasted no time in going live with its real-money French offering, joining the likes of PartyPoker and PokerStars who are already live in France, having previously been granted licences by ARJEL.

The latest entrants into the French online poker market will be bad news however for 888 which is yet to launch despite having received licence approval.

Of the latest round of poker licensees, PKR and Barriere are yet to offer real-money gaming, and yet to go live are Pokerxtrem and Pokersubito who will launch on the 888/Microgaming platform under an agreement with 888's B2B division Dragonfish.

Earlier this month Ladbrokes announced Nick D’Ancona and Canal+’s François Deplanck would head up the JV between the bookmaker and France’s largest premium pay TV provider, announced in April.