France Drops 179 Competitions from Its Spots Betting List: Which Ones Are Out?

France is tightening its rules on sports betting, according to the latest announcement by the French gambling regulator (ANJ). The regulator has updated the list of sports competitions and types of bets that licensed French bookmakers can offer to their customers.

The new list, which will take effect on March 1, 2024, will have 179 fewer competitions than the current one, which includes 951 events.

Some of these competitions were removed from the list because they had a high chance of match-fixing.

For example, ANJ said that the first-level Tunisian football championship and US college sports, except for the NCAA basketball tournament (March Madness), were too risky.

The regulator also eliminated some competitions that no longer exist and some that have low interest among players. For instance, betting on the Armenian Cup will no longer be allowed.

On the other hand, the regulator also legalized some types of bets that were previously banned.

For example, legal French bookmakers will be able to offer handicap bets in tennis, bets on the number of points scored by a player in a basketball game, and bets on friendly matches played by the French men’s football and rugby teams.

Previously, we reported on the sports betting stats in France for the first half of 2023.