French government announces new regulatory authority

The government of France announced the creation of a new gambling authority as part of the privatisation of Française des Jeux (FDJ) next month.

France.- Française des Jeux (FDJ) is on its way to get privatised, and the government scheduled that to happen in late November. As part of that privatisation, it unveiled the creation of the L’autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), which will replace L’autorité nationale de régulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL).

The Minister of Action and Public Accounts, Gerald Darmanin, announced the news and said that the ANJ will be in place on January 1. This order was made in the Council of Ministers, which specified the terms of the privatisation of FDJ. The authority will be in charge of all gambling activity except casinos in France.

The French state currently holds 72% of FDJ, but after the privatisation, it will only have 20% of the company. Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said that the ordinance ends the FDJ monopoly to replace it with a limited-term right, set at 25 years and renewable.

ANJ’s responsibilities

The new authority will consolidate and broaden the responsibilities of ARJEL. However, casinos have been excluded and will remain under the tutelage of the Ministry of the interior as those games “are particularly addictive.” ANJ will also have the power to approve games and operators, as well as giving economic sanctions.

The authority will be driven by Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, State Councilor and former president of the National Commission for Informatics and Liberties (2011-2019).