Banijay Gaming has agreed to acquire French casino operator JOA from funds managed by Blackstone and Kings Park Capital, strengthening its land-based gambling position in France.
The transaction would give Banijay Gaming full ownership of JOA, France’s second-largest casino operator by number of venues. JOA operates 33 casinos across France and attracts more than 4.6m customers a year.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Completion is expected in the second half of 2026, subject to employee representative consultation and customary approvals, including merger control and casino regulatory approvals.
JOA reported gross revenue of around €430m (US$506m) in 2025 across its casino, hospitality and leisure operations. The group also operates 37 restaurants, 44 bars and five hotels.
Laurent Lassiaz will remain chairman of JOA, with the existing management team also staying in place. Banijay said the structure would preserve local management while giving JOA access to the group’s technology and customer data capabilities.
François Riahi, chief executive of Banijay Group, said the acquisition would support the company’s development as a diversified European gambling group.
“The acquisition of Tipico has transformed us into a diversified omnichannel European leader in gaming, and the acquisition of JOA is fully relevant with this evolution,” Riahi said. “As in Germany and Austria, we will become a leader in land-based gaming in another of our core countries: France.”
The deal follows Banijay Group’s completed acquisition of Tipico in April 2026, which brought Tipico, Betclic and Admiral together under the Banijay Gaming division. Banijay said the JOA acquisition would add a national land-based casino network to its existing online betting and gaming operations.
France remains a restricted market for digital casino. Legal online gambling is limited to sports betting, horse racing betting and poker offered by authorised operators, alongside lottery products reserved to FDJ under its exclusive rights regime. The JOA transaction therefore gives Banijay greater retail casino exposure rather than a lawful route into online slots or table games.
France’s regulated gambling market continued to grow in 2025, with gross gaming revenue reaching €14.1bn (US$16.6bn), up three per cent year-on-year. Casino GGR rose 3.4 per cent to €2.81bn (US$3.32bn), while admissions increased two per cent to 31.6m.
Online gambling revenue increased 8.5 per cent to €2.61bn (US$3.08bn), representing 18.5 per cent of France’s regulated market. Online sports betting remained the largest digital segment, with revenue up 10.4 per cent to €1.76bn (US$2.08bn).
For Banijay Gaming, the acquisition deepens its presence in a core European market while adding physical venues, hospitality assets and customer relationships that could support a broader omnichannel strategy within the limits of French regulation.
