ANJ Approval Confirmed
Bet365 has received approval to offer online sports betting in France, giving the operator a route into one of Europe’s more tightly controlled regulated betting markets.
The approval was issued by France’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), through Decision No. 2026-114, dated 16 April 2026. The decision grants Hillside (New Media Malta) PLC an online sports betting licence under the number 0067-PS-2026-04-16-AGR-00. The ANJ document states that Hillside filed its application on 5 January 2026 and that the decision was published on the regulator’s website on 22 April 2026.
What The Licence Covers
The licence is valid for five years from 16 April 2026. It is renewable and non-transferable, according to the ANJ decision. The authorised offer is limited to sports betting, with the regulator naming the bet365.fr domain as the route through which the approved offer can be made available.
ANJ’s public list of approved operators now includes Hillside (New Media Malta) PLC, with bet365.fr listed under the category “Paris sportifs”, or sports betting. The same list also shows established French-market operators and brands including Betclic, Winamax, FDJ, PMU and Unibet, under their respective licensed entities.
The approval does not, by itself, confirm the exact public launch date for the French site. The ANJ decision also reminds the licence holder of pre-operation and certification obligations, including a requirement linked to declaring the operation of the required archiving support before activity begins. It also sets out certification requirements due within six months and one year of the relevant starting points, with annual updates thereafter.
A New Regulated-Market Step
SBC News reported on 24 April 2026 that bet365 is expected to begin its French debut shortly after gaining the licence, with the timing falling ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup period. The report said the application was made through Hillside (New Media Malta) PLC and described the move as a notable new entry into France’s online sports betting market.
For bet365, the French approval adds another regulated European market to its operating footprint. For the French market, it adds a well-known international betting brand to an already competitive sports betting field. However, the scope of the licence remains narrow: it covers online sports betting only, not casino or wider gaming products.
That distinction matters because France’s online gambling framework is more restrictive than the UK’s. ANJ states that only four broad gambling categories are authorised in France: FDJ lottery games, sports betting offered by ANJ-approved operators, horse racing betting offered by ANJ-approved operators and online poker offered by ANJ-approved operators. The regulator also states that online casinos and betting on eSports are not authorised in France.
