French gambling regulator approves FDJ 2026 plan after vetoing some requests
FDJ has been told to remove or change scratch card games that have excessive gambling levels.
France.- The French gambling regulator ANJ has approved the games and betting programme of FDJ United’s domestic offering Les Française des Jeux for the year 2026. The programme was approved subject to compliance with several conditions, which result in strict supervision of the games offered by the former state-owned monopoly lottery operator.
The regulator has told ANJ to modify or withdraw the scratch card games presenting the most excessive level of play. It also refused the operator’s request to launch an online version of its Amigo game and maintained a freeze on new draw-based lottery games.
It also ordered the removal of incentive promotional messages relating in particular to the frequency of winnings and minimum winnings and told the operator to reduce the share of revenue that comes from excessive gamblers on the BingoLive offering.
Each year, the National Gaming Authority approves the gaming and betting programme for the coming year for the two operators that hold exclusive rights: FDJ and horse racing betting operator PMU. This approval, where applicable, specifies conditions.
The regulator noted that data from the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) showed that, for the first time since 2020, the proportion of both excessive and problem gamblers with FDJ increased year-on-year in 2024 for all activity under the operator’s exclusive rights.
With regard to scratch cards offered in physical distribution networks and online, the freeze on the number of launches of new €3 games or relaunches of already authorised games is maintained at three in 2026. The number of launches of new €5 games or relaunches is limited to two in 2026. The number of scratch cards marketed in 2026 in physical distribution networks and, where applicable, available online based on a unit stake of €5 must not exceed nine.
Concerning games sold exclusively online, the ANJ is requesting a reduction in their total number, which particularly concerns the ranges of games at €2, €3 and €5.
Penalty of data breach
In unrelated news, the ANJ said it had issued a €75,000 penalty to an unnamed operator for breaching data rules. It said the operator failed to fulfil obligations for the real-time archiving and permanent data availability over a period of 25 months between 2022 and 2024.
The ANJ said the failure led the operator to exclude bets totalling several million euros. A second breach involved more than 900,000 defective records.
The regulator recently named Pauline Hot as director general. She replaces Rémi Latastem, who had helmed the ANJ since its creation in 2020 as the unified gambling regulator for all forms of gambling in France. Meanwhile, the ANJ has proposed the introduction of a whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling ads during sports broadcasts in France. It wants the measure to come in before the 2026 World Cup.
