French Gambling Regulator Urges More Action to Cut Problem Gambling by 2027

(AsiaGameHub) –   France’s gambling sector has shown tangible progress in curbing excessive gambling and underage participation, yet additional efforts are required to meet the ambitious targets aimed at reducing problem gambling rates by 2027.

This finding comes from a report published by France’s national gambling regulator, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ).

In 2024, the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimated that roughly 1.17 million people across France exhibit problematic gambling behaviors, with approximately 360,000 categorized as excessive gamblers.

Concerns over gambling are particularly pronounced 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 survey respondents) had gambled at least once in the previous year — a nearly 8% increase since 2021 — despite a strict legal ban on selling gambling products to minors.

The ANJ also noted that a significant share of gross gaming revenue comes from problem gamblers. Pre-pandemic data showed that around 38% of GGR was generated by problem gamblers, with 20.7% attributable to excessive players.

The regulator recently warned that prediction market platforms operate around the clock and often lack protective safeguards such as spending limits or identity verification. In 2024, the ANJ investigated Polymarket and concluded that its services qualify as unauthorised gambling operations. The regulator cautioned that prediction market platforms “are not authorised in France and are considered illegal gambling services.”

Online play, casinos and racecourses

Most licensed operators have implemented measures to deter underage participation, according to the review. These include stricter age verification during registration, targeted public information campaigns for adults, and guidance on parental control tools.

Detection of excessive gambling behavior online has improved notably, with operators identifying 89,000 excessive players in 2025, up from 31,000 in 2024.

Nonetheless, the regulator has ordered online operators to scale up their identification efforts in proportion to their user bases and deliver measurable results.

Casinos and gaming clubs have enhanced their identification and support mechanisms.

Over 2,200 staff members have completed an ANJ e-learning prevention module launched in November 2024, representing a substantial portion of the sector’s workforce. Despite this progress, one casino’s prevention plan was rejected outright, signaling ongoing deficiencies in some operations.

Racecourse operators, coordinated by the National Federation of Horse Racing, have expanded the provision of player information, volunteer training, and oversight measures. Nevertheless, the ANJ has pushed for more robust minor protection by separating family areas from betting zones and ensuring children’s entertainment does not indirectly encourage young people to start gambling.

These developments come as France establishes new regulatory frameworks and calls for stricter enforcement. Earlier this year, the ANJ formally launched a new regulatory regime, Jeux à Objets Numériques Monétisables (JONUM), for games featuring monetizable digital objects. This framework allows players to acquire monetizable digital items such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or blockchain-based products, and it will operate as a three-year experimental program.

The regulator has also called for a total ban on gambling advertising, and plans to use the 2026 FIFA World Cup to run a large-scale campaign promoting responsible gambling.