French gambling regulator issues warning ahead of 2026 World Cup
The ANJ has noted a 25 per cent rise in operators’ marketing budgets as the FIFA World Cup approaches.
France.- The French gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has issued a warning to operators to avoid excessive advertising during the FIFA World Cup 2026. With the tournament set to take place across the Americas this summer, the ANJ said it had observed an average 25 per cent rise in gambling companies’ marketing budgets in anticipation.
In 2025, French gambling operators spent 8 per cent less than what the ANJ had expected after France hiked gambling tax in July. However, the regulator fears the trend may reverse this year due to the marketing power of the World Cup. It wants to avoid a saturation like the one it severely criticised during the Euros in 2021.
Although it has previously recognised the operators had shown more restraint in subsequent international events, the ANJ is concerned by FIFA’s introduction of “hydration breaks” in matches. The new player welfare measure means that every World Cup match will have a mandatory three-minute break 22 minutes into each half to allow players to hydrate.
This means more advertising time, which, the ANJ fears could mean greater exposure to betting promotions.
“In this context, in order to prevent any risk of advertising overexposure and the development of excessive gaming practices, the ANJ asks all operators not to exceed the announced budgets,” the regulator stated.
The French advertising union ADMTV has confirmed that one major broadcaster had already pledged not to sell gambling ad slots during the new breaks. It also pledged to follow the advertising standards set out by ANJ, the broadcasting regulator ARCOM and the advertising watchdog ARPP in 2022.
The ANJ has previously proposed that lawmakers consider a “whistle‑to‑whistle” advertising ban for major sporting events, which would prohibit gambling ads from airing during live coverage, similar to the voluntary prohibitions agreed by operators in the UK and Ireland.
A 2024 study showed that 15.3 per cent of sports bettors in France are considered problem gamblers. The report also highlighted the popularity of betting among younger demographics, with 18 per cent of bettors aged between 18 and 24.
