ANJ Urges Operators to Double Down on Harm Prevention

France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ/National Gaming Authority) has highlighted the risks faced by the French market. According to the authority, gambling harm and underage gambling remain the two most serious challenges it has to deal with.

The regulator therefore called for cooperation among regulators in order to address these issues.

Problem Gambling Remains Prevalent

A recent study by the OFDT, a body researching various addictions, suggested that there are approximately 1.8 million at-risk players in France, 360,000 of whom gamble excessively. Additional data suggests that problem gamblers were responsible for a staggering 38.3% of all GGR in France. Some 20.7% of all revenue came from the 360,000 excessive gamblers, according to the OFDT.

The ANJ, which addressed these findings, acknowledged that the French market has experienced certain improvements over the past few years but added that there is still much to do. The regulator praised the ongoing efforts to shield players from harm by educating them on the dangers associated with gambling and the safer gambling tools available to them and encouraged operators to do even better.

Additionally, France succeeded in preventing operators from enticing problem players with promotions and special offers. At the same time, however, the country continues to struggle with disconcertingly high problem gambling rates.

Operators, Especially FDJ United and PMU, Should Be Extra Careful

Despite the progress in the past few years, the ANJ urged operators to raise their standards and bolster their efforts to identify excessive players. According to the authority, it is especially important that FDJ United and PMU improve their safer gambling standards and train staff to identify risk players.  

In an official address, the ANJ said that the sector must do more to further reduce the number of excessive gambling by the end of the year. According to the authority, this should be the operators’ primary concern for the moment.

In the meantime, the ANJ issued recommendations to all operators, providing them with various tips on adopting best practices.

Underage Gambling Is Another Prevalent Issue

Underage gambling, unfortunately, remains another prevalent problem. France has been aware of this issue for years and has tried to discourage parents from introducing their kids to playing or playing games of chance together.

Unfortunately, when it comes to online betting, operators usually take 30 days to verify customers’ identities. This gives minor bettors plenty of time to register fake accounts and play. To make matters worse, since withdrawals oftentimes require additional documentation, some underage players have been able to lose money without having a chance to withdraw their winnings.

Speaking of regulation in France, the ANJ continues to watch over the market and penalize those who violate its rules. A month ago, it levied a record-breaking $843,360 fine to SPS Betting, which operates the Unibet brand in France.

As it turned out, Unibet had committed a severe and lasting self-exclusion failure, allowing excluded players to wager and potentially exposing vulnerable consumers to harm.