France’s ANJ has directed FDJ and PMU to strengthen checks against sales to minors and support for excessive gamblers. Chairwoman Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin said the regulator is developing an algorithm to help identify excessive gambling and plans a conference on 27 June to review prevention measures.
The ANJ’s requirements affect how the two operators monitor sales and identify customers at risk of excessive gambling.
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France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux said its new algorithm identified about 600,000 online players with a high probability of excessive gambling in the second half of 2025. They represented 8.7% of the licensed online account-based gambling population and generated €1.2bn, or 60% of online gambling GGR; about 300,000 were classed as manifestly excessive. The regulator expects operators to use the tool to improve detection of at-risk gambling.
France's ANJ said its algorithm identified 600,000 players with a high probability of excessive gambling, 8.7% of account-based players, who generated €1.2bn or 60% of total gross gaming revenue. The regulator reported that operators identified 89,000 excessive players in 2025, up from 31,000 in 2024, and called the identification effort insufficient.
The French gambling mediator received 1,856 requests in 2025, a 20% increase on 2024, according to the mediator's activity report published by the ANJ. Sports betting accounted for 91.5% of admissible requests, mostly concerning account management and bet disputes. The mediator deplored the doubling of withdrawals by Winamax, which withdrew from 126 cases.
France's ANJ examined the excessive- and underage-gambling prevention plans of all licensed operators between November 2025 and March 2026, it said. The regulator approved the plans but issued prescriptions, saying further effort is needed to cut the number of excessive gamblers by 2027. It cited an OFDT estimate of 1,170,000 problem gamblers in 2024, including 360,000 at excessive levels.
France’s ANJ reviewed the 2026 promotional strategies of 17 licensed online operators and two exclusive-rights operators, FDJ and PMU. With proposed promotional budgets up 25%, the regulator asked operators not to exceed their announced total budgets and to limit reallocations; it said the guidance could lead to targeted checks.