The Autorité de la concurrence clears the acquisition by Banijay Gaming (Betclic) of the JOA group, which operates 33 casinos in France
On 4 November 2026, the French Autorité de la concurrence unconditionally approved the acquisition of the JOA Group, which operates 33 casinos in France, by Banijay Gaming (Betclic). This was the first time the Authority had reviewed a transaction involving both a land-based casino operator and an online gaming operator. The analysis focused in particular on conglomerate effects, as the Authority found that online poker and casino table games, including poker, could be regarded as related markets, given a shared customer base willing to switch channels. However, it concluded that the transaction was not likely to harm competition, taking into account each entity’s market share, the presence of major competitors, and the limited share of JOA’s business attributable to poker. The Authority declined to assess the transaction in light of a possible legalization of online casinos. > Read the article.
“Dubai Papers”: Trial Opens Over an Alleged Large-Scale Tax Fraud Scheme
The trial of thirteen defendants, including nine individuals of Hélin International opened on 2 November 2026 before the 32nd Criminal Chamber of the Paris Judicial Court. The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (“Parquet national financier”) is prosecuting them for, among other offenses, complicity in tax fraud, aggravated money laundering (including by an organized group), and criminal conspiracy (association de malfaiteurs). It alleges an orchestrated tax fraud of 322 French taxpayers who allegedly concealed more than €200 million through offshore companies, foreign bank accounts, and opaque financial structures. The prosecution bases the conspiracy charge on an alleged agreement and a vertical organization with a division of tasks. The case, in which three lawyers and an accountant are being tried as business introducers, notably raises questions regarding the criminal liability of legal and accounting intermediaries. > Read the article.
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Opens Office in Paris
The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”) officially inaugurated its first European office staffed by a permanent team on 4 November 2026 in Paris. This new presence is intended to enhance access to dispute resolution mechanisms available to foreign investors and host States, particularly through arbitration, conciliation, and mediation proceedings. The Paris office will also support case administration and the development of institutional cooperation initiatives, capacity-building programs, and dispute prevention activities across Europe. Its opening further confirms Paris’s position as a leading venue for ICSID proceedings, having hosted 30% of the Centre’s in-person hearings between July 2025 and June 2026. > Read the article.
Moscow court rejects challenge to arbitrator over UK citizenship
On 30 October 2026, the Moscow City Arbitrazh Court dismissed a request by Belarusian state-owned utility Slutskvodokanal to disqualify British-Russian arbitrator Tatiana Minaeva, whom the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) had appointed on the utility’s behalf, from a Moscow-seated UNCITRAL arbitration brought by Israeli contractor Shtang. The utility mainly cited her British citizenship, which it said would bind her to comply with UK sanctions against Belarus, as well as her workload and omissions in her disclosure. Minaeva argued that Russian courts had applied the presumption of bias linked to the nationality of an “unfriendly” country only to foreign-seated arbitrations. The decision, whose reasoning is yet to be published, reportedly cannot be appealed. Slutskvodokanal is also seeking to remove the Latvian chair of the arbitral tribunal, before the same court, and the arbitrator appointed by Shtang, before the DIAC Arbitration Court. > Read the article.
