Julien Brun appointed as Betclic CEO
Brun takes the helm as Banijay prepares to merge the France-facing gambling operator with Tipico.
France.- Julien Brun has been appointed as CEO of Banijay’s Betclic Group. He succeeds Nicolas Béraud, who founded the operator in 2005 and now becomes chairman of Banijay Gaming amid the major strategic merger of France-facing Betclic with Germany-focused Tipico.
Brun joined Betclic in 2017 as chief commercial officer after eight years at Kindred Group. He was promoted to chief operating officer in 2021. He’ll now lead what is one of France’s biggest online betting operators.
Brun wrote on LinkedIn: “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.
“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.”
In October, Banijay struck a deal with CVC Capital Partners to acquire a controlling 65 per cent stake in Tipico Group, the operator of Germany’s leading bookmaker Tipico Sportwetten. The merger of Betclic and Tipico under Banijay Gaming will create a new giant in western Europe with a strong presence in both France and Germany.
To permit the acquisition, Banijay has sold its 53.9 per cent controlling stake in bet-at-home, which has been struggling since its withdrawal from Austria.
France is one of the big five sports betting markets in Europe, following the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain. Betlic is one of the largest operators along with FDJ, PMU and Winamax, although Bet365 is reportedly considering a launch in France this year. Proposals to regulate online casino gambling in France remain stalled due to opposition from land-based casinos.
