French regulator flags “concerning” findings from new European-first gambling risk algorithm
Players flagged as high-risk were responsible for 60 per cent of operators’ gross gaming revenue (GGR).
France.- The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has introduced a new algorithm intended to measure problem gambling in France, and the early findings have raised some serious concerns. According to the regulator, players flagged as high-risk were responsible for 60 per cent of total operator gross gaming revenue (GGR).
The data showed a rise in both the number of problem gamblers and their share of operator revenues. During the second half of 2025, the algorithm identified around 600,000 players with a high likelihood of excessive gambling. This group represented 8.7 per cent of France’s online gambling population across licensed operators.
Of these, approximately 300,000 were classified as “manifestly excessive” gamblers, a category that the ANJ said operators must urgently detect. Such high-risk players generated roughly €1.2bn in GGR, equating to 60 per cent of all online gambling revenue. The regulator said this proportion has been steadily rising since 2023.
A first in European gambling regulation
While similar projects are underway in Spain and the Netherlands, ANJ says its new algorithm is the first operational tool of its kind in Europe. Developed using continuous player account data from licensed operators and scientific research, the system applies 23 indicators covering financial activity, gambling frequency, use of moderation tools, and player history.
Based on these criteria, gamblers are grouped into four categories: Recreational players, Moderate-risk players, Excessive players and Manifestly excessive players.
Operators can adopt the algorithm voluntarily alongside their own monitoring systems. The algorithm’s accuracy was validated against the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, overseen by a scientific committee of recognised researchers.
The French gambling regulator described the findings as “concerning” and concluded that current operator efforts to identify and support excessive gamblers remain inadequate. It said it expects rapid improvements in detection, particularly for the 300,000 players deemed manifestly excessive.
Recent initiatives include a redesigned national self-exclusion register. While operators have improved somewhat, identifying 89,000 excessive gamblers in 2025 compared to 31,000 in 2024, the regulator said this remains far below expectations given prevalence studies.
ANJ President Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin commented: “The completion of this algorithm and its availability to operators constitute a decisive step for the regulator. This demonstrates the ability to design an innovative and effective tool, conceived to closely reflect the realities of online gambling practices.
“Complementing existing surveys, the algorithm allows for a more objective assessment of the efforts to identify problem gamblers, which operators must continue without delay.”
Referring to FDJ United and PMU, she added: “It is essential that this identification also be carried out at points of sale, an objective we have been asking the two monopolies to pursue since 2024.”
The algorithm is part of the ANJ’s 2024–2026 strategy, which prioritises reducing excessive and pathological gambling. French law requires operators to intervene with problem gamblers through measures such as betting limits, account monitoring, referrals to support services, and, when necessary, account closures.
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