iGaming woke up this morning to an altered landscape, as UK giant bet365 announced its official entry into the French market following licensing approval last month. Flutter Entertainment meanwhile, announced sweeping leadership changes to its APAC and emerging markets division.
Unpacking these stories today on the iGaming Daily podcast, SBC editor-at-large Ted Menmuir joins host Fernando Noodt along with SBC News editor, Ted Orme-Claye.
Bet365 in France
For much of the past two years, attention has focused on bet365’s North American expansion, where it has been able to slowly gather state licenses and establish a credible foothold in a market where a duopoly of FanDuel and DraftKings reigns supreme.
France is simultaneously one of Europe’s richest and most demanding betting markets, with high levels of regulation and steep taxes – a 50% GGR rate was introduced back in 2024.
“Bet365 has the resources to commit to scale”, says Menmuir, “its more down to its overall commitment and whether management views France as a mainstream market that can join the tops ranks of Europe”.
The timing of the expansion is also interesting. The FIFA 2026 World Cup looms on the horizon, with France a serious contender as always. Orme-Claye highlights how this leads to an appetite in sports betting engagement among French consumers. If bet365 can position itself correctly during the tournament, it could compress the typical market entry timeline considerably.
Reactions from established operators
French operators have reacted to the expansion with mixed feelings. On the one hand, as Menmuir points out, the addition of a major international brand has the potential to help lobby for the long-awaited legalisation of online casinos.
Meanwhile FDJ, which is currently moving its flagship PMU Sports brand onto the Unibet platform, faces a more vulnerable position which could see competition from bet365 disrupt its operations at an already sensitive time.
France as a market is interesting, because it has long favoured homegrown brands. Menmuir points out that localisation will be a key test for bet365, as these opening 12 months are likely to define whether this becomes a meaningful market entry or an expensive lesson for the Stoke-On-Trent headquartered operator.
Flutter Restructure
Away from France, Flutter Entertainment announced a significant leadership change this week, promoting long-serving Sports Bet Australia CEO Barney Evans to lead its APAC and Emerging Markets division at the executive level.
Doug Brown succeeds Evans in the Australia CEO role.
Menmuir points out how this restructure reflects a broader organisational evolution at Flutter that acknowledges the structural differences between its core US and European operations, and the more fragmented landscapes of Asia and emerging markets.
“A big consideration for them [Flutter] will be the situation in India,” added Orme-Claye, “and the federal ban on real money games nationwide we had there last year”. This ban delivered a material blow to Flutter’s APAC portfolio, forcing the brand to withdraw its Junglee brand which had been a significant contributor in the region.
Orme-Claye continues, highlighting how the prospect of repositioning at the state level, as opposed to pursuing a federal strategy, is something Flutter might not have a lot of choice in doing.
