France proposes new rules for online gambling adverts
The government has proposed new requirements for responsible gambling messages.
France.- The French government has proposed a series of new requirements for the inclusion of responsible gambling messages in online gambling adverts. A draft decree proposes the introduction of a mandatory warning message about excessive or pathological gambling.
If approved, operators will need to include the message along with information about support available to help customers suffering from gambling-related harm, such as the Jouer service. Responsible gambling messages will have to be applied in black writing on a yellow background occupying at least 15 per cent of the space of online adverts and 7 per cent of cinema and poster ads.
Video adverts will have to include a five-second packshot at the end containing the message. Users must not be able to skip this part of the advert. The deadline for implementation would be 30 days after the rules are approved.
The decree notes that research by the French Public Health Agency found that 73 per cent of gamblers considered prevention messages to be useful as a warning of gambling addiction but says that previous health messages “have become less effective and need to be adapted” to new types of ads.
It says that while the number of moderate-risk gamblers is stable at around one million, the number of people suffering excessive problems rose from 200,000 in 2014 to 370,000 in 2019.
The proposed new rules come after the French gambling regulator ANJ introduced new guidance prohibiting the use of athletes in gambling adverts. The ANJ’s guidance is not legally enforceable but it has suggested that it will call for legislative changes if operators do not respect it.
See also: French and Belgian regulators to collaborate on safer gambling initiatives
