France Poker Guide 2026: Live Clubs, Online Laws & EPT Paris
France remains one of the most prestigious and tightly regulated poker markets in the world in 2026. While the “Gaming Club” (Club de Jeux) model has completely replaced traditional casinos in Paris, the rest of the country continues to offer classic casino experiences. The scene is defined by a rigorous licensing system under the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) and a high-stakes culture that positions Paris as a global tournament capital.
France: The 2026 Regulatory Landscape
- The Regulatory Pillar: The ANJ (Autorité Nationale des Jeux) oversees all legal gambling. In 2026, the ANJ’s strategic plan focuses on personalizing player accounts and modernizing the “Interdiction Volontaire” (self-exclusion) system, which is now fully digital and activated within 24 hours via biometric verification.
- The Paris Club Model: Unlike other French cities, Paris does not have traditional casinos. Instead, it features exclusive gaming clubs focused on poker and “club games.” These venues operate under strict 2026 security standards, including mandatory RFID tracking for all chips and real-time pot calculation software.
- New Web3 Framework: France has become a pioneer in 2026 with the JONUM (Jeux à Objets Numériques Monétisables) framework. This regulates blockchain-based games and NFTs that bridge the gap between gaming and gambling, though these platforms are strictly prohibited from offering cash prizes like traditional poker.
PRIMARY HUB
Paris / Aix-en-Provence
ONLINE STATUS
Regulated Shared Liquidity
STATUS
Licensed & High-Tax
France’s Elite Venue Network
In 2026, the French infrastructure is a mix of urban luxury clubs and grand provincial “Pasinos”:
Club Pierre Charron (Paris): Located in the “Golden Triangle” near the Champs-Élysées, this is Paris’s most active cash game hub. It offers 14 tables with stakes ranging from €1/€2 to €50/€100. The venue is famous for its high-tech tables and integrated lifestyle amenities, including a cigar lounge and library.
Palais des congrès de Paris : Situated on the Champs-Élysées, this is the official partner for EPT Paris 2026. It offers a refined, apartment-style atmosphere and is the primary destination for weekly high-value tournaments like the Santos Dumont.
Pasino Grand (Aix-en-Provence): The leading venue for southern France. It hosts a massive volume of TexaPoker series events and the WSOP International Circuit (WSOPC).
2026 Key Dates & Events
EPT Paris 2026 (February 18 – March 1, 2026): The grandest event on the French calendar, held at the Palais des Congrès in partnership with Club Barrière. The 2026 edition featured a €5,300 Main Event and a €100,000 Super High Roller.
WSOP International Circuit Aix-en-Provence (April 10 – 21, 2026): A premier regional festival at the Pasino Grand where players compete for coveted WSOP Gold Rings.
Winamax Poker Tour Grande Finale (March 20 – 30, 2026): The conclusion of France’s massive grassroots tour, known for its electric atmosphere and deep fields.
Online Poker in France
Online Poker Legislation in France
Online poker, unlike online casino games, is legal in France and is regulated by ARJ (Autorité Nationale des Jeux), formerly known as ARJEL.
All the biggest online poker rooms – PokerStars, partypoker, etc. – are available for French citizens to play on. Winamax Poker is a popular French online poker room.
The aforementioned ARJEL was the one who dreamt up and spearheaded the European Poker Liquidity Deal in 2017. France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy signed an agreement to share their player pools in the future. As of now, Spanish, Portuguese, and French players can play against each other on the same servers – however, Italy is still lagging behind with the implementation of the deal.
Best Online Poker Sites in France
Live Poker in France
Live Poker Legislation in France
Live casino gambling is legal in France, including poker games. Since June 2020, licencing and regulation of the gambling establishments in the country are handled by the National Gaming Authority (Autorité Nationale des Jeux, ANJ for short). It’s an independent administrative authority whose chairman is appointed by the President of France himself.
There’s around 200 casinos operating in the country. As for poker rooms per se, their number is around 120.
Live Poker Venues in France
As we wrote in our intro, Monte Carlo is technically an administrative area in the sovereign principality of Monaco. However, due to its strong historic and cultural ties to France, Monte Carlo and its gambling life will be discussed here.
The biggest casino in Monte Carlo, Casino de Monte-Carlo, actually doesn’t offer classic poker games to their patrons, only Ultimate Texas Hold’em – a version of the game in which you play against the house.
Where all the real high-profile poker action is happening in the city is the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort. European Poker Tour and PokerStars Championship events have been held there in the recent past. However, they do not host tournaments and cash games year-round.
Most major casinos don’t have consistent poker tournament schedules, rather they hold a few festivals a year.
Casino Le Lyon Vert in Lyon, for example, hosted the Unibet DeepStack Open and the French Poker Open 600 in 2019. The Unibet DSO had €120-€1,000 tourneys on their schedule, while the FPO 600 held €120-€1,200 events.
Paris Club Elysées in the capital city is one of the few places that runs No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha cash tables on a constant basis. There’s no information available on the blinds – however, from the minimum buy-ins listed on their website, we can deduce some. The tables start at €250, €500 and €1,000 in chips at least. Most places don’t allow cash players to sit down with less than 50 BB’s, so the stakes are likely €2/5, €5/€10, and €10/€20.
One of the most famous gambling houses in France, the Aviation Club de France, sadly closed down after more than 100 years in business in 2014.
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