France’s gambling industry has demonstrated measurable progress in preventing excessive gambling and underage play but ‘further efforts’ are necessary to meet ambitious targets to reduce problem gambling by 2027.
This is according to a review published by the national regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ).
The French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimated in 2024 that approximately 1.17 million people in France exhibit problematic gambling behaviour, with roughly 360,000 classified as excessive players.
Concerns are particularly acute among minors. The ARPEJ’s ENJEU-Mineurs survey, supported by the ANJ, found that in 2025, 42.6% of 15- to 17-year-olds (among 5,000 respondents) had gambled at least once in the previous year, an increase of nearly 8% since 2021, despite a strict legal ban on sales to minors.
The ANJ also highlighted that a substantial proportion of gross gaming revenue derives from problematic players. Pre-pandemic data indicated around 38% of GGR came from problem gamblers, with 20.7% attributable to excessive players.
The regulator recently cautioned that prediction market platforms operate around the clock and often lack safeguards such as spending limits or identity verification. In 2024, ANJ investigated Polymarket and concluded that its services could constitute unauthorised gambling. The regulator warned that prediction market platforms “are not authorised in France and are considered illegal gambling services.”
Online play, casinos and racecourses
Most licence holders have adopted measures to deter underage participation, says the review. This included stricter age verification during registration, targeted adult information campaigns and guidance on parental controls.
Detection of excessive behaviour online has notably improved, with operators identifying 89,000 excessive players in 2025, up from 31,000 in 2024.
Nonetheless, the regulator demanded that online operators increase identification efforts proportional to their user base and produce measurable outcomes.
Casinos and gaming clubs have improved identification and support mechanisms.
Over 2,200 staff have completed an ANJ e-learning prevention module launched in November 2024, representing a considerable share of personnel in the sector. Despite this, one casino’s prevention plan was rejected outright, indicating ongoing deficiencies.
Racecourse operators, coordinated by the National Federation of Horse Racing, have stepped up player information provision, volunteer training and controls. Nevertheless, the ANJ has pressed for more robust protection of minors by separating family areas from betting zones and ensuring children’s entertainment does not indirectly promote gambling initiation.
These developments come as France sets new regulatory frameworks and calls for crackdowns. Earlier this year, ANJ formally operationalised a new regulatory framework, Jeux à Objets Numériques Monétisables (JONUM), for games featuring monetisable digital objects. It enabled players to acquire monetisable digital objects such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or blockchain-based items. It will run as a three-year experimental framework.
The regulator also called for a whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling advertising, using the 2026 Fifa World Cup to run a large-scale campaign to promote responsible gambling.
Kathryn Evans
Kathryn covers bitesize breaking news with a primary focus on EMEA and US legislation. A proud North Walian, fluent Welsh speaker and lifelong Wrexham FC fan – long before Hollywood came calling.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sustainable-gambling/france-gambling-regulator-further-efforts-needed-reduce-problem-gambling-2027/
