French betting giant Betclic Group has new leadership amid a wider transformation taking place at its parent company, Banijay Group.
Julien Brun has stepped in as the new CEO of Betclic Group, one of the major competitors in the French online betting space alongside the likes of FDJ United, PMU and ZEturf.
The company’s new chief executive has been working in iGaming for many years, joining Betlcic in July 2017 as Chief Commercial Officer following an eight year stint with Kindred Group. He later became Chief Operating Officer in 2021.
“After seven incredible years working alongside our Founder Nicolas Beraud, and serving as COO of Betclic, I am honoured to step into the role of CEO of Betclic Group,” Brun wrote on LinkedIn.
“This journey has been a truly collective one, marked by a fantastic and successful development of the Group — driven by growth, transformation, and constant evolution — made possible by the commitment, talent, and energy of our teams.
“This new role marks the opening of a new chapter in Betclic’s development. Our ambition is clear: to accelerate our growth through innovation, expansion into new opportunities, and a continued focus on delivering remarkable product experiences to our users.”
Changes and challenges ahead for Betclic
Brun steps into the leadership role at Betclic during both a transformational time for its parent company, Banijay, but also a challenging period for the French iGaming space as a whole.
Back in October 2025, Banijay reached an agreement with CVC Capital Partners to acquire a 65% majority stake in Tipico Group – owner and operator of the market-leading German bookmaker Tipico Sportwetten.
The effective merger of Betclic and Tipico that will result from this introduces a new major player to continental Europe’s betting market, one with a considerable presence in two of the EU’s biggest nations – France and Germany.
To make room for the transaction, Banijay divested its 53.9% controlling stake in bet-at-home AG, the Austria-founded, German-headquartered and Malta-dominified bookmaker, which has been having a rough run of things financially in recent years.
Taking on a new and improved Betclic with added firepower from Tipico is by far the biggest opportunity for Brun and the operator’s wider leadership this year. However, 2026 also comes with some added baggage, particularly regulatory and tax-related.
July last year saw some hefty tax hikes on French gaming, with the duty on gross gaming revenue (GGR) from online sports betting up from 54.9% to 59.3% and the duty on poker stakes up from 0.2% to 10%, among other changes.
The tax hikes were, as expected, met with extensive protest from the French online betting sector, but the government is steadfast – the revenue from the new tax streams is far too lucrative for the government to resist.
Meanwhile, although the prospect of a new casino market is still on the horizon, policymakers are taking their time getting it done. This glimmer of hope was overshadowed in 2025 by figures showing that the number of French gamblers visiting illegal sites rose 35% to 5.4 million over the previous two years.
Despite these challenges, the French betting scene remains promising, and stakeholders clearly view prospects there. Bet365, for example, appears to be planning a French market launch in 2026, though for Betclic this will of course mean a new competitor, one which has proven itself well elsewhere in Europe, the Americas, and elsewhere.
Brun concluded his LinkedIn post: “I am excited to keep growing Betclic, to further strengthen our product and technology leadership, and to continue building a culture driven by impact, responsibility, and excellence.”
French betting giant Betclic Group has new leadership amid a wider transformation taking place at its parent company, Banijay Group. Julien Brun has stepped in as the new CEO of Betclic Group, one of the major competitors in the French online betting space alongside the likes of FDJ United, PMU and ZEturf. The company’s new