French regulator pledges to “drastically reduce” number of excessive gamblers by 2026
ANJ reveals new three-year plan, based on three key pillars, which it says will only be achieved if stakeholders commit to progress
The l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has laid out a new three-year plan which aims to “drastically reduce the number of excessive gamblers” in France.
The regulator has released its strategic plan for 2024 through to 2026, structured around three key pillars, which the ANJ is hoping will drive success.
Pillar one relates to reducing the percentage of excessive gambling in France.
According to the regulator, this will be driven by key efforts including a limit to advertising, delivering awareness campaigns and working with operators to ensure internal policies are in place to support problem gamblers.
The ANJ pointed to data, released earlier this year by OFD, which claimed problem gamblers were generating more than 38% of GGR in France, with 21% being accounted for by excessive gamblers alone.
A 2019 study from the French gambling research body, ODJ, put the number of players in France at risk from gambling-related harm at 1.4 million.
The ANJ said: “These figures, which must be updated soon, illustrate the reality of a social problem, for young people in particular, with collateral damage in the player’s direct entourage: over-indebtedness, family problems [and] educational difficulties.”
Pillar two, as noted by the ANJ, is based on continuing to uphold and preserve the integrity of the market.
This would be achieved via expanding the ANJ’s reach over the chain of supply in the industry to tackle payment and platform providers, as well as develop partnership with fellow European regulators.
The third and final pillar of the new strategic plan is based on internal improvements at the regulator, as well as expanding its knowledge of adjacent industries to the gambling sector.
These include exploring the development of Web3 and the video games sector and monitoring new trends across the industry more broadly.
Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, ANJ president, said: “After three years of operation of the ANJ, we consider today that the regulation of gambling must take a turning point, which implies that the market gradually pivots towards a less intensive model.
“This proactive objective of reducing the number of excessive gamblers and strengthening the protection of minors will be monitored over three years, and adjusted based on monitoring indicators and prevalence studies.
“It can only be achieved if all the players join forces alongside the regulator to move the lines: gaming operators, public authorities, institutions [and] associations,” she added.