WSOP.fr has been awarded an online gaming license in France, by regulator ARJEL. Caesars Interactive Entertainment partnered with Groupe Lucien Barrière to create the site. This marks a major step forward in offering poker players what they are really after: real-money play. Barrierepoker.fr will serve up WSOP real-money tournaments, including WSOP qualifiers for events in Europe and the U.S. The online French gambling market is new, and this deal will likely be one of its most lucrative for 2011.

“Lucien Barrière Hôtels & Casinos is a well-run organization,” Mitch Garber of Caesars Interactive Entertainment said. “We are excited to work with them to access the French market with high-quality and reputable poker events both in their hotels and casinos, and online with BarrierePoker.fr.”

Announced at the same time, the World Series of Poker Europe will be making a move to France. Instead of London, Caesars Interactive Entertainment announced that it will take place in Barrier’s Cannes casinos: the Casino Barrière de Cannes Croisette and the Hôtel Majestic Barrière. This is the first location change in the event’s five year history. An added bonus will be the tournament’s new capacity for 75 tables, effectively doubling the tournament’s capacity. The 2011 tournament will feature seven bracelet events, instead of the former five.

Caesars and the World Series of Poker Europe will also be collaborating on a new Barriere Poker Tour. The tour will offer eight regional stops through the France, including Lille, Toulouse, Nice, Dinard, Enghien, Trouville, Bordeaux, and Cannes.