As the Esports World Cup opens in Paris with the largest prize pool in the sport’s history, France’s national gambling authority has reminded fans that wagering on any of it is illegal. No licensed operator may take an esports bet in the country, and every site that offers one is unlawful – a stance the regulator is restating after the world’s biggest esports event fell into its lap.
Key Takeaways
France’s ANJ says all esports betting sites are illegal, with no licensed operator permitted to offer such markets.The prohibition flows from the 2010 gambling law, which limits online betting to ANJ-listed sports.Paris hosts the Esports World Cup from July 6 to August 23 – the Saudi-associated competitive gaming project’s crown had to be relocated from Riyadh due to geopolitical safety concerns. Over seven weeks, the tournament runs 25 competitions across 24 games – including Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Valorant, and Dota 2 – drawing more than 2,000 players associated with more than 200 different orgs, many of which receive a stipend for being part of the EWC’s umbrella program. The competition carries a prize pool of more than $75 million, the largest ever assembled in esports.
The prohibition is not a new policy but a consequence of how French betting law is structured. Under the law of May 12, 2010, which opened online betting to competition, wagering is limited to the sporting disciplines the ANJ enters on its authorized list – and no video game competition appears on it. A later reform, the 2016 Digital Republic law, formally recognized esports as legitimate competition, but it did not extend betting rights to it. The result is that esports can be played, broadcast, and celebrated in France at the highest level, but not legally wagered on.
The concerns most often cited are competitive integrity and match-fixing risk on titles with fast player turnover, and the protection of minors, who are heavily represented in esports audiences. Rather than reopen the broader debate over expanding the perimeter of legal online gambling, French authorities have kept esports outside it while publicly backing the gaming sector: President Emmanuel Macron received the Esports World Cup’s organizers at the Élysée ahead of the event, signaling institutional support for hosting without any move toward legalizing bets.
For the duration of the Esports World Cup, then, the position is unambiguous: hundreds of millions will watch, thousands will compete, and in France, none of it can legally be bet on.
