France's competition authority has authorised Banijay Gaming's proposed acquisition of casino operator JOA without conditions, bringing the 33-casino transaction closer to completion.
The decision, issued on 4 November, covers the merger control review initiated after Banijay Gaming notified the authority on 7 October.
The authority said this was the first French transaction it had examined that would place an online gambling business and a land-based casino operator under the same ownership.
Banijay Gaming operates Betclic in France and acquired Tipico Group in April, bringing Tipico and Admiral into the division. JOA runs 33 casinos across France, with restaurants, bars and hotels alongside gaming. Its estate draws more than 4.6 million customers each year, according to Banijay Gaming's July announcement.
The regulator examined whether ownership of both businesses could allow Banijay Gaming to steer customers between online and in-person poker. It consulted France's gambling regulator, the ANJ, and competitors before assessing possible cross-promotions and bundled offers.
It found that online poker and land-based casino poker have overlapping customer bases. However, JOA's poker activity represents a small part of its casino business and the authority found that other competitors would remain active. It concluded that the merger would not harm competition through those cross-channel effects.
Online casino games remain prohibited in France. The competition authority therefore excluded any future legal French online casino market from its assessment, saying the prospect of legalisation was still too uncertain to form a plausible merger scenario.
The decision comes as French gambling activity shifts across channels. The ANJ's 2025 market review recorded 31.6 million casino admissions, up 2%, while casino gross gaming revenue rose 3.4%.
Online gambling accounted for 18.5% of overall gross gaming revenue, up from 12.8% in 2019.
Banijay Gaming originally expected the JOA transaction to complete in the second half of 2026. Its announcement listed consultation with JOA's employee representatives and casino gaming approvals alongside merger control as conditions. The new decision addresses the competition review.
In July, the initial report on the JOA purchase included the plan for Chairman Laurent Lassiaz and the existing management team to remain in place after the transaction.
JOA's estate includes 37 restaurants, 44 bars and five hotels alongside its casinos
