France's Gambling Regulator Eyes Excessive Gambling Reduction as Cornerstone of Policy
France's gambling regulator, l'Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has reduced excessive gambling its central policy objective in a newly released strategic roadmap covering through 2026. The agency is calling for a structural shift across the gambling sector, urging operators to move away from business models that depend heavily on high-risk gamblers.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:According to its latest annual report, the ANJ now expects its regulatory framework and monitoring systems to yield demonstrable results. It expects reductions in both the number of excessive gamblers and their proportional contribution to industry revenues by the close of the strategy cycle.
Related: ANJS Sustainable Gambling Success in France Through CollaborationThe roadmap highlights a transition from generalized commitments to actionable and measurable results. Since its founding in June 2020, the ANJ has developed an evolving regulatory approach focused on balancing commercial activity with harm prevention.
With its initial cycle of implementation completed, the agency considers the sector to be entering a pivotal phase. Operators are now increasingly aligning their compliance strategies and commercial practices with public health goals, particularly in identifying and intervening with problem gamblers.
One key indicator of gambling harm, France's voluntary self-exclusion register, has experienced significant growth. The number of individuals listed has now reached 85,000 — more than twice the total reported in 2021.
This registry is expanding at an annual rate of 20%, underscoring a growing public awareness of gambling-related risks and a stronger commitment to personal harm reduction. The ANJ considers the expansion of this register both a success in public engagement and a signal for further sector-wide changes.
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The urgency of addressing gambling-related harm will be reinforced in a high-level symposium on gambling addiction set to be held at the French Senate on 27 June. The event will bring together regulatory officials, legislators, treatment professionals, and educators to examine shortcomings in existing policy and propose coordinated improvements. ANJ leadership has emphasized that gambling can no longer be treated as an ordinary consumer product due to its addictive potential and social consequences.
According to the ANJ, reducing gambling harm is a responsibility that extends beyond operators to encompass regulators, public authorities, educators, families, and civil society organizations. The regulator asserts that broader societal engagement is necessary to address the full scope of gambling-related challenges and to shift cultural norms around the activity. The expectation is that harm reduction will become not just a regulatory obligation but a collective public mandate.
The ANJ's latest review of operators' internal action plans shows measurable progress in several areas. Operators have improved systems for detecting problematic gambling behavior and have met key compliance targets related to anti-money laundering protocols.
The agency's oversight powers were further reinforced in 2024 by two rulings from France's Council of State. These judgments affirmed the ANJ's authority to supervise the gambling offerings and promotional activities of state-run monopolies, bolstering its ability to act decisively in the public interest.
In parallel with its strategic redirection, the ANJ has increased its enforcement activities. During 2024, the regulator issued nine formal sanctions, including financial penalties of up to €150,000.
The most substantial fine to date was levied in January 2025, when Unibet was penalized €800,000 for a serious technical failure in its self-exclusion mechanism. The ANJ considered this failure a major breach of player protection obligations and treated it as a landmark enforcement case.
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