The French National Lottery joins forces with the Swiss data-analytics team, Sportradar, to launch a free-to-play esports site, and the Global Poker League gets ready to sponsor The GO Malta eSports Festival.

While it’s true that the French gaming regulators believe betting on esports is akin to having a manky cold sore in the corner of your mouth, minds might be changing.

Swiss sports data specialists, Sportradar, have partnered with the French National Lottery (La Française Des Jeux), launching a free-to-play esports site, via their Parions Sports sports betting brand.

The new site, Parions Esports will receive a Sportradar makeover including a brand new esports API, stat centre, and global betting odds information centre including live wagering.