New ANJ Algorithm Reveals Excessive Gamblers Contribute 60% of Online GGR

(AsiaGameHub) –   The French National Gaming Authority (ANJ) has launched a newly created algorithm aimed at spotting far more potential problem gamblers in online and live betting than the numbers currently reported by gambling operators. 

This detection tool is a key component of ANJ’s 2024-26 strategic plan, which prioritizes curbing excessive gambling as a regulatory goal. Per the plan, France’s gambling sector showed tangible progress in preventing excessive gambling and underage participation, yet “additional efforts” are required to hit the ambitious 2027 targets for reducing problem gambling.  

In 2024, the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimated that around 1.17 million people in France display problematic gambling behaviors, with about 360,000 categorized as excessive players. 

Using ongoing, account-specific gambling data directly collected from licensed operators, the ANJ built the algorithm using 23 indicators based on scientific research. 

These indicators consider factors such as:

• Financial transaction trends
• Utilization of gambling moderation features
• Frequency and intensity of gambling activity
• Players’ past gambling records

The algorithm sorts players into four categories: recreational, moderate risk, excessive, and clearly excessive.

The ANJ verified that the algorithm’s performance was tested against the globally recognized Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) and reviewed by an independent scientific panel. It’s said to be the first model of its kind in Europe, with comparable initiatives ongoing in Spain and the Netherlands.

Flagged players generate €1.2 billion in gross gaming revenue

Preliminary findings released on Wednesday show that the algorithm identified around 600,000 players with a “high likelihood” of excessive gambling during the latter half of 2025. 

This makes up roughly 8.7% of the online and live betting population overseen by the ANJ, which includes users of licensed online platforms and the two main account providers: La Française des Jeux (FDJ) and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU).

Of these, some 300,000 players were labeled as clearly excessive gamblers— a group the regulator stresses operators must prioritize identifying.

Together, these flagged players are estimated to have generated €1.2 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR), which is about 60% of the total online gambling GGR. Significantly, the ANJ noted this proportion has been rising consistently since 2023.

Tool marks a ‘decisive step for the regulator’

Although operators have made progress— tripling the number of excessive gamblers they identified from 31,000 in 2024 to 89,000 in 2025— the ANJ stated this is still far below what’s needed. Current industry numbers stand in stark contrast to the regulator’s algorithm-based estimates and population survey data on gambling harm.

To boost better detection, the ANJ is making the algorithm available to operators as an optional tool. It aims for this tool to act as a “compliance barometer”, allowing operators to assess their identification work alongside their existing detection methods. The regulator will keep tracking trends and comparing operator reports with its own data.

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, ANJ’s president, praised the algorithm as “a decisive step for the regulator”, highlighting that it aligns with actual online gambling behaviors. 

She repeated the ANJ’s strong expectation that operators start identifying the 300,000 clearly excessive players right away and expand their efforts to address the larger group flagged by the tool. Furthermore, the ANJ underscored the need to improve problem gambling detection in physical retail settings, focusing on FDJ and PMU for increased action since 2024.

The ANJ admitted that its algorithm doesn’t offer an exact prevalence measure like epidemiological studies do, but it acts as a standard for regulatory supervision and trend tracking. Looking forward, the regulator expects the algorithm to push operators to step up their identification and support efforts. 

France’s regulated gambling market grew by 3% in 2025, hitting a total gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €14.1 billion ($16.6 billion).