After not being included on the original list of operators, PokerStars has earned a license to be able to operate an online poker site in France.
It was announced on Tuesday that ARJEL (Autorité de Régulation des Jeux En Ligne, or the Authority of Regulation of Online Games), the French organization that is in charge of the country’s new online gaming operations, delivered License Number 0006-PO-2010-06-25 to the owners of PokerStars. This license grants the world’s largest online poker site the ability to begin offering poker to French residents, which started yesterday at PokerStars.fr.
PokerStars did not jump into the licensing frenzy from the start, deciding to wait to see what the process entailed. Once it was comfortable with the procedures, PokerStars submitted its application on May 19th and was able to meet all of the stringent ARJEL license requirements. Although PokerStars is now available for French customers, there are some restrictions on online poker in France.
As of now, PokerStars.fr will enable French players initially to play free money tournaments and sit and gos. PokerStars.fr will begin running cash games once the regulations of the French government for online poker have been published, which is expected to happen at any time.
“PokerStars.fr aims to be one of the leading online poker operators from the day the French market opens,” PokerStars French Country Manager Alexandre Balkany stated during the announcement. “We plan on offering players the best tournaments, promotions, and opportunities to win seats at PokerStars’ world renowned international tournaments.”
PokerStars will also benefit from having some of the biggest names in French poker as a part of its pro squad. Led by Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, PokerStars also has top French players Arnaud Mattern and Thomas Bichon on the roster. French rugby star Sebastian Chabal and tennis pro Gaels Monfils are also ambassadors for the online poker site.
“Players on PokerStars.fr will have fantastic new opportunities, not only to play online, but to win seats to famous international poker events like the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas,” Grospellier said. “These tournaments require players to have the right mix of skill, training, and concentration, and PokerStars.fr will be the perfect place for players to work on that.”
The new PokerStars.fr should only add to the European Poker Tour (EPT) fields, including the popular stop in Deauville, France. The EPT recently announced its 12-stop 2010-2011 schedule, which includes the French tournament as well as events in Spain, Portugal, and Germany, all of which count France as a border country. The EPT begins its seventh season in August with a tournament in Talinn, Estonia.
It has been a tumultuous 2010 for French customers looking for action online, be it sports betting, horse racing, or poker. After operating a state run monopoly on online gaming for almost three years, France made the decision in April to pass a law through the French Parliament to allow regulated online gaming. It created ARJEL to regulate the industry and opened its doors to operators, with the proviso that they adhere to the stringent guidelines of ARJEL.
Prior to the start of the 2010 World Cup, ARJEL released several licenses to the ownership groups behind such top online poker outlets as Everest Poker, bwin, and BetClic. With the most recent release of licenses, PokerStars is one of the first major companies to have been granted one. Other lucky license holders include Gaming Iliad SAS (Chilipoker.fr), Partouche Gaming France SAS (Partouche.fr), and Electraworks SAS (PartyPoker.fr). Sportingbet, Betfair, and William Hill have not applied for licenses and have restricted access to French customers. Microgaming’s application has not yet been approved.