France’s gambling regulator, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has approved the required harm reduction plans submitted by the industry but has instructed the nation’s two monopolies and licensed operators to enhance their efforts.
Since October 2019, French gambling operators have been required to submit action plans to the ANJ for approval, focusing on the prevention of underage gambling and excessive play.
Between January and March of this year, the ANJ reviewed plans from France’s gambling monopolies, PMU and FDJ United, along with those from licensed online operators and land-based venues. France currently licenses 16 online operators and has 203 casinos.
While the ANJ approved the latest action plans, it emphasized the need for stricter enforcement—especially regarding the ban on gambling access for minors. The regulator suggested introducing tougher policies to better monitor retail points of sale.
It also called for stronger systems to detect and assist individuals showing signs of excessive gambling. Suggestions included identifying high-risk behavior at the point of sale and providing targeted training and oversight for staff and retailers.
Reducing problem gambling is one of the ANJ’s top goals in its 2024–2026 strategic plan. The agency noted its results-based regulation approach has largely worked for the online sector.
According to the ANJ, standards for identifying and helping online problem gamblers have improved, leading to an increase in the number of players flagged and supported through operator systems. It also acknowledged operators’ efforts to deliver more personalized support, tailored to individual risk levels.
However, the regulator maintained that problem gambling still makes up too large a portion of the online market. As a result, it urged operators to identify more at-risk players, aiming to align detection rates with available data and player population sizes.
The ANJ added that early intervention in severe cases is crucial and recommended applying stricter limits to high-risk games such as live betting or fast-paced poker events. Among the 203 land-based casinos, only one operator’s plan failed to gain approval.
Overall, the ANJ observed better regulatory compliance across the casino sector. It said some venues are leading by example with updated harm-reduction practices, while others have not changed their approach since 2021.
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