meta_id 3036634

Between November 2025 and March 2026, France's Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) examined prevention action plans for excessive gambling and underage play submitted by all gambling operators in the country. This included two exclusive rights holders, 17 licensed online operators, 210 casinos and gaming clubs, and 231 racetracks. The ANJ acknowledged progress made by the sector but emphasised that additional efforts are required to achieve its central regulatory priority: a significant reduction in the number of excessive players by 2027. According to the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT), approximately 1.17 million problematic players existed in 2024, including 360,000 classified as excessive. A 2025 survey by the Association for Research and Prevention of Gaming Excess (ARPEJ) found that 42.6 percent of young people aged 15 to 17 reported gambling at least once annually, an increase from 34.8 percent in 2021. For the two monopolies (Française des Jeux and Pari Mutuel Urbain), the ANJ approved their plans while requiring stricter enforcement of underage sales prohibitions and more effective identification systems for excessive players at physical points of sale. For 17 licensed online operators, the ANJ noted substantial progress, with excessive players identified increasing threefold from 31,000 to 89,000 between 2024 and 2025. However, the ANJ requested further identification efforts aligned with player populations and prevalence studies. For casinos, results remained uneven, with some establishments performing well while others identified insufficient excessive players relative to their attendance levels. One casino's plan was rejected. The ANJ also directed the National Federation of Horse Racing (FNCH) to strengthen excessive player identification in racetracks and enhance child protection measures, ensuring family areas remain separate from betting spaces.