French gambling regulator orders PMU and FDJ United to improve harm reduction actions
The regulator has approved gambling operators’ annual plans but wants to see improved compliance.
France.- The French gambling regulator France’s L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has approved operators’ harm reduction action plans for 2025 but has told the two major French gambling monopoly operators, PMU and FDJ United, to make improvements.
All operators must submit annual plans for reducing gambling harm. The ANJ has approved most of this year’s plans but wants to see improved compliance, particularly in prohibiting access to minors. To achieve this, it wants tighter monitoring of PMU and FDJ’s physical sales points.
The regulator also suggested that the operators could improve their processes for identifying and helping excessive gamblers, including through training and monitoring initiatives for retailers.
As for online gambling, the ANJ hailed the success of its goal-oriented regulation strategy, observing improved increased detection and support of excessive gamblers, but it said it believes problem gambling is still too prevalent. It’s pushing operators to detect more excessive gamblers so that their figures align more with studies into the area. It’s also suggested that operators apply additional gaming limits for high-risk activities, including live betting and fast-paced poker tournaments.
In the land-based casino sector, only one casino failed to gain approval. However, the ANJ noted that some casinos have not changed their approach since 2021. The ANJ launched an e-learning programme last year aimed at offering practical solutions for harm reduction.
France has 16 licensed online gaming operators and 203 casinos. The ANJ reported that combined French gambling revenue in the first half of 2024 reached €5.5bn. That’s a rise of 3.8 per cent year-on-year. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has reported that gross gambling revenue in Europe as a whole reached €123.4bn in 2024, a rise of 5 per cent year-on-year.
