ANJ warns extra vigilance needed around problem gambling amid busy sporting calendar
French regulator references 2019 survey by a gambling research body that estimated 1.4 million players were at risk of excessive gambling
France’s National Gaming Authority, ANJ, has urged operators to be extra vigilant during the upcoming “summer of sport” with regard to problem gambling behaviour and gambling among minors.
This appeal comes as part of the regulator’s wider call on operators to go further to identify the number of players who are potentially experiencing gambling-related harm in relative to the size of their respective player base and prevalence studies. Operators will be required to demonstrate operational and measurable results which will be verified by control operations.
This forms part of the ANJ’s 2024-26 strategic plan, which the regulator outlined in January, to “drastically reduce the number of excessive gamblers” in France.
The regulator said that this plan is split into three pillars: the first is to reduce the percentage of excessive gambling; the second being a new strategic plan based on internal improvements at the ANJ, as well as expanding its knowledge of adjacent industries to the gambling sector; and to maintain and uphold the integrity of the French gambling market.
In the new update published today, 10 April, the regulator has said that the industry has made “significant progress” in the prevention of excessive gambling by increasing standards in terms of identifying and supporting those who are gambling excessively via awareness promotion.
The ANJ also highlighted that most operators had implemented individualised support measures, and some had deployed actions to prevent minors from circumventing the rules around underage gambling.
However, despite this improvement in detection, the regulator added, problem gambling was still prevalent in the French market.
The ANJ referenced a survey undertaken by the gambling research body, L’Observatoire des jeux in 2019, which estimated that 1.4 million players were at risk of excessive gambling, of which 400,000 were at a pathological level.
According to an EnClass study in 2021, 34% of under 18s had partaken in gambling activity, despite there being a nationwide ban on underage gambling.
The regulator also said that 34.8% of gross gambling revenue in 2019 was attributable to problem gamblers, including 20.7% of excessive gamblers.
As part of the ANJ’s new two-year strategic plan, the regulator said operators will need to take additional steps to detect excessive gambling earlier and intervene sooner, as well as diversify support measures to the different levels of risk, particularly for those aged between 18 and 24 and VIP players.
The ANJ has also instructed operators to implement a risk assessment tool before marketing offers to players and taking “ad hoc” measures to limit risks to players.
These calls come as the gambling industry prepares for a busy summer of sport with the UEFA European Football Championships taking place in Germany and the Olympics in Paris.