ANJ Calls for Tighter Regulations to Prevent Excessive Gambling by Operators
France’s National Gaming Authority (ANJ) has given the green light to most industry-developed safer-gambling plans but emphasized the need for operators to reinforce their controls and demonstrate tangible results in addressing excessive and underage gambling. This move aligns with ANJ’s broader strategy for 2024–2026, which aims to significantly reduce the number of problem gamblers by 2027. ANJ Excessive Gambling
In its recent review, ANJ assessed the annual action plans submitted by various operators across France’s licensed gaming market. This included the two exclusive-rights operators, 17 licensed online platforms, 210 casinos and gaming clubs, and 231 racecourses. While the regulator approved the majority of these plans and acknowledged progress within the sector, it also urged operators to step up their efforts. Specifically, ANJ called for stronger controls and demanded that operators produce measurable results. These directives are part of the agency’s wider 2024-2026 strategy, which prioritizes reducing the number of excessive gamblers by 2027.
ANJ’s review was framed against concerning data indicating that excessive gambling and underage betting remain significant risks. The French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT) estimated in 2024 that France had approximately 1.17 million problematic gamblers, including 360,000 classified as excessive gamblers. Despite a legal ban on sales to minors, underage gambling persists. The second ENJEU-Mineurs study, conducted by ARPEJ with ANJ support, revealed that 42.6% of 5,000 respondents aged 15 to 17 reported gambling at least once during 2025, a rise of nearly eight percentage points from 34.8% in 2021.
Furthermore, ANJ highlighted earlier market data showing that gambling revenue remains highly concentrated among at-risk players. In 2019, problematic gamblers accounted for 38.3% of gross gaming revenue, with 20.7% stemming from excessive gamblers.
For La Française des Jeux (FDJ) and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), which together hold nearly two-thirds of France’s gambling market through their exclusive rights, ANJ approved their 2026 action plans. However, the regulator also instructed both operators to bolster efforts in two specific areas outlined in its strategic plan. First, ANJ emphasized the importance of stricter enforcement of the ban on sales to minors, calling for increased checks, a sanctions regime for outlets, and a risk-based approach to ensure inspections target the areas of greatest concern. Second, it urged both operators to enhance their methods of identifying and supporting excessive gamblers in land-based venues, recognizing that customer monitoring differs significantly from online platforms.
ANJ noted that its close compliance support has yielded generally positive results among licensed online operators. Many introduced measures to prevent minors from bypassing age restrictions during registration and launched awareness campaigns, including links to parental controls. Detection of excessive or problematic gambling online also improved considerably. In 2025, operators identified 89,000 excessive gamblers, up from 31,000 in 2024, a reflection of updated detection systems and new indicators. Nevertheless, ANJ urged online operators to improve their identification processes, ensuring that detection efforts match the size of their player bases and reflect available prevalence studies. The regulator also called for concrete evidence that these systems are effective, with measurable results, and that prevention measures for underage gambling are working. Control operations may verify these claims through on-site inspections.
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Performance among casino operators showed mixed results. While some independent casinos and gaming clubs delivered notable progress, many venues still identified and supported too few excessive or problematic gamblers relative to their visitor numbers. On a positive note, ANJ acknowledged increased cooperation between casinos and addiction treatment providers as well as local care centers. These partnerships facilitate referrals to treatment, in-venue information campaigns, and staff training. Since the launch of ANJ’s e-learning module in November 2024, over 2,200 professionals in the sector have completed the training. The regulator approved all casino action plans except one, which it rejected.
In the horse racing sector, overseen by the Fédération Nationale des Courses Hippiques (FNCH), progress was observed in areas such as player information, volunteer training, and control activities. However, ANJ urged the federation to pay closer attention to protecting minors, ensuring that family areas are separated from betting zones, and preventing children’s activities from serving as indirect introductions to gambling. The agency also called on FNCH to improve the identification and support for excessive gamblers at racecourses, where current measures are deemed insufficient. ANJ Excessive Gambling
