The question that many novice players ask is: Is online poker legal? And the answer is a resounding YES! Just not in China or the United States. At Poker Expats we search for the best locations to play legal online poker and give you the tools you need to qualify for an active account with Poker Stars, Party Poker and all of the other top sites. Read about how Poker Refugees has changed the live of hundreds of online poker players and sports bettors. Moving to a Foreign Country for Online Poker or Sports Betting: The New Normal. Apr 20, 2011 It covers in a question and answer format what Americans must do to play on PokerStars for real money i. PokerStars to provide for, and facilitate, players outside of the United States to engage in playing online poker for real money through the Domain, or any other domain names. Mar 25, 2016 This is a discussion on How to play PokerStars whilst travelling? Within the online poker forums, in the Poker Rooms section; I been playing stars since I started traveling, but today after 3 mo. Delaware Poker utilizes a shared player pool system and is part of the interstate online poker network. This means that players from all three iPoker sites are in the same pool. Also, Delaware Poker and WSOP.com in Nevada share player pools, giving players even more opportunities for action.

France online poker overview

Poker Site	Online	Cash	24 H Peak	7 Day avg	Last Week	Play Now
Winamax.fr	13859	2296	3226	1700	3017,2448
PartyPoker Europe	592	766	425	904,715	Play Now
iPoker Europe	1283	374	470	240	443,406	Play Now
PokerStars Europe	1622	2328	1300	2493,2092	Play Now

France was among the first countries to regulate online poker in Europe – and unfortunately, local lawmakers opted for a semi-fenced market solution. As a result, players from France are allowed to play only on locally regulated sites, but French operators are still free to offer their services to people from all over Europe.

This kind of approach benefits the French government and certain French businesses. However, it is also harmful to international businesses, who are put in a lose-lose situation as soon as they decide to enter the local market.

Online Poker Player Rankings

Either they allow players from abroad to join their French site, thereby creating additional competition for their own international platform, or they box French players in, cutting them off from the rest of Europe.

France online poker laws

French gambling laws have a certain Byzantine quality to them. Every form of real-money gaming is regulated separately. Land-based poker regulations have very little to do with online poker regulations. Both are completely separate from sports betting laws, casino-related laws, and so on.

There is no consistency to speak of, which is pretty confusing since these regulations go as far as to dictate which poker variants are allowed and which are banned. On a brighter note, the situation isn’t as ambiguous as in most other western countries, such as Canada and Germany. French law may be complicated, but at least it’s very specific and stable.

What is or is not legal in France?

French poker operators have to obtain a “club game” license from ARJEL (Autorité de régulation des jeux en ligne – Regulatory authority for online games). These licenses are issued exclusively to businesses based in France.

As briefly touched on above, the rules that govern online poker are separate from those that govern land-based poker (Decree 2010-723 on the categories of club games mentioned in Article 14 of the Online Gaming Law and the principles governing their technical rules).

Only four poker variants are authorized for online play

Fixed-Limit Texas Hold’em
Pot-Limit Texas Hold’em
No-Limit Texas Hold’em
Omaha Poker

All of the above poker variants can be offered as either cash games or tournaments.

Goodbye PokerStars.fr, hello PokerStars Europe!

In January 2018, the French online poker market suddenly became significantly more attractive due to a rather sudden announcement made by Stars Group, which declared that it has begun pooling online poker liquidity between its locally regulated sites in both France and Spain.

The most surprising part of this announcement was that the new platform would be accessible to players from outside those two countries, who would be allowed to sign-up via PokerStars.es and start playing with their French and Spanish colleagues. We aren’t really sure what this means for the European poker scene, but one thing’s for certain: Winamax’s owners are not going to be pleased.

Where can I play poker online in France?

PokerStars Europe

PokerStars Europe overview

PokerStars Europe is the largest France-regulated online poker room. It’s also quite unique in terms of traffic, as the site has been allowed to share its player pool with Spain and other European countries. To sum up PokerStars Europe in one sentence, we’d say that it’s the largest small poker platform in the world.

PokerStars Europe game choices

Whether you’re looking for cash games, multi-table tournaments, or exciting S&Gs, PokerStars Europe has you covered. The action won’t be as fierce as on the international network, but the overall experience is still fairly impressive. Most of the action takes place at the Hold’em tables, although there’s a fair amount of Omaha action if you aren’t too picky about your opponents.

Other locations where PokerStars Europe operates

PokerStars also operates internationally and has daughter sites in Italy, Portugal, and New Jersey.

Winamax

Winamax overview

At one point, Winamax was the largest France-licensed poker room, but the recent merger between PokerStars.fr and PokerStars.es knocked it down a notch. Still, it’s a decent alternative for recreational players who are simply looking for some fun.

Winamax game choices

No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, low buy-in tournaments, low buy-in Sit&Go’s, and Espresso STTs with randomized prize pools. If you’re willing to overlook a few empty lobbies, Winamax’s game selection is a micro-stakes player’s dream come true.

Other locations where Winamax operates

Winamax does not have any sister sites.

iPoker.fr

iPoker.fr overview

iPoker has never been a huge network, so scaling it down to fit a ring-fenced market doesn’t really seem like a good idea. And yet, somehow, it just works. Expect about 500 players online during peak traffic hours.

Poker site game choices:

iPoker.fr is all about low-stakes Hold’em and low buy-in MTTs. If that’s your thing, go for it. If you’re expecting something more, you’d be better served to join PokerStars.

Other locations where iPoker.fr operates

iPoker is also available internationally. Some of its skins have sister sites in Italy and Spain.

partypoker.fr

partypoker.fr overview

With only 350 players online during peak traffic hours,

Can Us Players Play Online Poker Abroad