BetStars continues European expansion into France
Operator unveils beta version of sportsbook to take advantage of Euro 2016 fever
Amaya has launched its BetStars sportsbook in France ahead of the second round of the Euro 2016 group stages in the country.
French regulator ARJEL originally awarded BetStars a betting licence last Tuesday, but the operator faced some initial technical problems in getting the site up and running, an Amaya spokesperson told EGR.
Like the new Italian version of the sportsbook, BetStars.fr will initially only offer seven sports, with plans to expand the range in coming months.
“The launch of BetStars.fr means that French customers have a safe, secure and convenient place to bet on sports,” said Eric Hollreiser, vice president of corporate communications for Amaya.
“As we roll out our offering in different countries, we can see that the crossover between poker players and sports bettors is strong. We look forward to offering our French customers this seamless experience just in time for Euro 2016.”
The beta version is now live for French customers via desktop and on iOS and Android mobile devices.
The operator’s Spin & Bet feature, which recently won the EGR Innovation in Sports Betting Award, will be available on all Euro 2016 football markets, while the firm is also offering a free bet promotion if customers bet on France to win the tournament.
The early stages of the Euros saw massive betting interest in France with ?17.6m bet on the first seven matches of the tournament through ARJEL-licenced online operators.
French online sports betting stakes for the whole of Q1 totalled ?516m, while the country’s opening match with Romania alone attracted online stakes of ? 4.9m.
Several other operators have also recently scrambled to get sportsbooks up and running for the Euros including Grosvenor Casino, Mr Green and Gamesys.
In related news, BetStars parent company Amaya today also announced plans to appoint David Lazzarato to its board after Paul McFeeters announced he will be unable to serve as a director of the firm due to personal reasons.