ANJ reveals record-breaking levels of online betting during World Cup 2022

According to figures released by the l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), €597m (£530.24m) was wagered by French bettors as Les Bleus reached the final of the tournament in Qatar.

This is a 56% increase on the money staked during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which the French national team won in Russia. This figure is also a 37% increase on Euro 2020, but this tournament did have fewer matches.

The regulator did say this figure had the caveat that Française des Jeux retail figures had not been published yet, but did state that the handle for online and retail could go above €900m.

Around 54 million bets were placed during the tournament, which is double the amount placed four years prior, while €51m was placed on the final between Argentina and France, which is a national record for the amount staked on a single game and €13m up on the previous record hit during the 2018 final.

There were 2.6 million accounts placing bets throughout the competition, representing 2.2 million unique players. Alongside this, there were 177,000 new accounts created during the tournament, which is down from the 232,000 created in 2018.

Of those new accounts, 53% were made by those aged between 18 and 24. Twice as many women aged between 18 and 24 signed up for an account than during a normal period outside of a major sporting event.

The average value of a bet was slightly down on 2018, sitting at €11. By the end of the tournament, 70% of accounts were negative, 23% were positive, and 6% were balanced.

Only 1% won more than 10 times their stake.

Overall the tournament generated €70m in gross gaming revenue (GGR), but the ANJ stated that while this is a jump on 2018, it does represent a slowing down of the sports betting market in France.

In 2022, online GGR increased by 2.5% compared to 45% in 2021 and 7% in 2020. The regulator said that the increase was so high in previous years due to the behavioural changes associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

As part of the World Cup, the ANJ had persuaded the industry to sign a commitment charter to moderate advertising before and during the competition.

The ANJ also launched its first dedicated safer gambling campaign, ‘T’as vu, t’as perdu’ (‘You Saw, You Lost’), before the tournament’s start.

In a statement released by the regulator, it said: “As expected, the World Cup was a highlight in the 2022 sports betting calendar, with online stakes breaking records. This economic result confirms the real craze for sports betting, which is, for many gamblers, an inseparable practice from football.”

“As far as advertising is concerned, the content has become more normalised, and the commitments made by the operators to reduce advertising pressure have generally been respected. Nevertheless, the massive recourse to programme sponsorship and influence are points of vigilance for the regulator and answers will have to be provided in the near future.”