France clears Betclic owner’s acquisition of JOA

France’s Autorité de la concurrence has cleared Banijay Gaming’s planned acquisition of exclusive control of JOA Group without conditions. JOA operates 33 casinos across France, alongside associated hospitality facilities, making the transaction a significant consolidation in the country’s land-based gaming sector. The authority said the deal creates a group active in both online gambling, through Banijay Gaming’s Betclic business, and physical casinos. It nevertheless concluded that the transaction was unlikely to harm competition, citing the parties’ market positions and JOA’s limited poker exposure. The clearance follows Banijay Gaming’s notification of the transaction on October 7.