Betclic open to Belgium return despite market withdrawal
French operator to pull its Belgium-facing website later this month after launching less than a year ago
Betclic Everest Group is preparing to withdraw from Belgium’s online gambling market, but may return to the country at a later date, the firm told EGR Intel.
The Paris-based operator is set to leave the Belgian market later this month having launched in the country in partnership with land-based casino operator Ardent Group last year – in Belgium you need either a land-based presence or partner with a retail operator to offer products online.
The CEO of Ardent Group, Emmanuel Mewissen, was quoted in the Belgian press last week as saying Betclic had opted to pull its Belgium-facing website to focus on the firm’s core French market.
However, speaking to EGR Intel this morning, a Betclic Everest Group spokesperson said the company could still return to the market at later date.
“I can confirm that we are withdrawing from the Belgian market at the end of May but we do not reject the idea of returning to it later,” the spokesperson said.
“Betclic Group remain a European operator and is still looking for opportunities in new markets.”
Betclic.be was unveiled last year in time for Euro 2016, with the launch coming just months after Betclic Everest was removed from the country’s blacklist by the Belgian Gaming Commission.
The licence agreement between Ardent and Betclic has been terminated but, according to the regulator, the licence remains active and can be used again in the future.
Earlier this year, Betclic also hired company founder and former CEO, Nicolas Béraud, to replace Isabelle Andrès as the operator’s new CEO.
Béraud founded the Paris-based company back in 2005 and served as chief executive until 2011, before launching free-to-play mobile games developer TripleFun in 2013.