Poker deal between Playtech and France's FDJ finalised

03 July 2023

Poker deal between Playtech and France's FDJ finalised

FDJ
As part of the agreement, FDJ will be allowed to use Playtech's Twister Poker, their flagship poker game, as well as their cash tables and tournaments.

In addition, FDJ will become an operator in a number of European markets through Playtech's Ipoker.eu network.

"Playtech has a great track record as a poker network and content provider in Europe's regulated markets," remarked Richard Courtois, chief executive of FDJ's sports and gaming division.

The company's participation in our hiring process showed that they were dedicated to and understood our long-term goals.

With the help of Playtech, we are able to provide our gamers with a wider selection of games. With this move, FDJ can solidify its position in the competitive French market. A business model that integrates accountability with performance underpins this, with the goal of maintaining the enjoyment of gaming.

"We are very proud that FDJ has chosen Playtech as its partner," said Marat Koss, VP of interactive gaming at Playtech. As the French online gaming business remains buoyant, the inclusion of FDJ to our Ipoker.eu is a crucial step in the network's expansion.

"We are excited about the prospect of a fruitful and extended collaboration with FDJ."

French e-gaming industry expansion
The transaction follows the 2022 announcement of record gross gaming revenue (GGR) by the French gaming authority, l'Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ). Euro 12.90 billion (£11.08 billion/$14.04 billion) was the yearly GGR for the twelve months ending 31 December 2022.

With a growth rate of 0.8%, the French online gaming market reached €2.18 billion. A whopping 64% came from wagers on sporting events, 20% from online poker, and 16% from wagers on horse races.

Among all online games, poker had the best gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2022, reaching €442m, up from €421m the previous year.

Another record-breaking figure was €1.38 billion for online sports betting. Another record was set here with stakes of 8.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the lottery brought in €5.6bn in 2022, up 10.2% from the previous year.

With an increase from €1.08bn in 2021 and a narrow miss to €2.4bn in 2019 (pre-pandemic), casinos' GGR for the year was €2.5bn.