Poker With Crypto From France
France has licensed online poker since June 2010, the ANJ blocks illegal sites, and skilled habitual players who earn significant income are taxed.
The short answer
France opened online poker to licensed operators in June 2010, and the national gambling authority, the ANJ (the ARJEL until 2020), decides who may offer it. Operators without a licence must keep French players out, and since March 2022 the ANJ can order illegal sites blocked. A player who plays habitually, controls chance to a significant degree through skill and earns significant income from it is taxed on the winnings; an occasional player does not meet those conditions. WePlay's terms refuse residents of France.
From the sources at the bottom of the page. We are players, not lawyers; this page is what the law and our sources say, not legal advice.
At a glance
- The law
- The law of 12 May 2010 opened online poker to licensed competition in June 2010. The licences come from the Autorité nationale des jeux, the ANJ, which took over from the ARJEL in 2020.
- Licensed poker
- Seven companies were authorised to offer online poker to players in France in 2026. Online casinos are banned.
- Sites without a licence
- Operators without a licence must geo-block French players. Since March 2022 the ANJ can order illegal sites blocked and delisted without going to court.
- Tax
- The Conseil d'État ruled on 21 June 2018 (no. 412124) that poker winnings are taxable as non-commercial profits when the player plays habitually, controls the role of chance to a significant degree through skill, and earns significant income from it.
- The rooms
- WePlay's terms refuse residents of France. Basepoker's terms name no countries; its licence is from Costa Rica.
A licensed market since 2010
Online poker was illegal in France until the law of 12 May 2010, which opened certain games of chance, poker among them, to licensed competition in June 2010. Poker became the only casino-type game allowed online; online casinos are still banned. An operator that wants to offer online poker to players in France needs a licence from the gambling authority, the ARJEL until 2020 and the Autorité nationale des jeux since, and seven companies held one in 2026.
Operators without a licence must geo-block French players. Since March 2022 the ANJ has had the power to order illegal sites blocked and delisted by administrative order, and it has blocked about 1,500 addresses that way, more than in twelve years of blocking through the courts.
Tax
Games of pure chance are not a taxable occupation in France, even when played often, because the outcome is random. Poker is different once three conditions are met: the Conseil d'État ruled on 21 June 2018 (no. 412124) that winnings are taxable as non-commercial profits when the player plays habitually against other players, controls the role of chance to a significant degree through skill and know-how, and earns significant income from it, even alongside another job. An occasional player does not meet those conditions.
What this means for a reader in France
WePlay's terms refuse residents of France. Basepoker's terms name no countries, and its licence is from Costa Rica, not from the ANJ. French law requires an operator without a French licence to keep French players out. We do not describe VPNs or other ways around that.
The ANJ-licensed sites are the legal way to play online poker in France. Our strategy pages, the odds chart and the calculators are free to read anywhere.
Time zones
Paris is UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, so a 20:30 start on WePlay's GMT+2 schedule is 19:30 in Paris in winter and 20:30 in summer. The Tonight page shows every start in UTC.
Sources
- Législation sur le poker en France, French Wikipedia (the 2010 opening, licences, geo-blocking)
- Autorité nationale des jeux, French Wikipedia (the ANJ, online casinos banned, blocking since March 2022)
- Poker en ligne, French Wikipedia (seven licensed companies in 2026)
- CMS Francis Lefebvre, 13 July 2018: the Conseil d'État decisions on poker winnings
- WePlay terms and conditions, section 2 (the countries it refuses)
- Basepoker terms of service, sections 1.5 and 5 (the player checks the local law)
Read next
Questions
Is online poker legal in France?
Yes, at licensed operators, since June 2010; the licences now come from the ANJ. Operators without a licence must keep French players out, and the ANJ can order illegal sites blocked.
Do I pay tax on poker winnings in France?
Only when you play habitually, control the role of chance to a significant degree through skill, and earn significant income from it; the Conseil d'État then treats the winnings as non-commercial profits. An occasional player does not meet those conditions.
Can I play on WePlay from France?
No. WePlay's terms refuse residents of France.