Pauline Hot, ANJ: “Our role is to keep the sector open and in good economic health”

The newly appointed Director General of L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux spoke to Focus Gaming News about her priorities for gambling regulation in France.

Exclusive interview.- In July, Pauline Hot was appointed as director general of l’Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), replacing Rémi Latastem, who left the position after five years to become director general of the Parisian inter-university campus Campus Condorcet.

In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Hot shares her vision for the ANJ, her priorities for the years ahead, and how the regulator will balance innovation with player protection.

Could you share your vision for the ANJ now that you have taken over as director general? What are the main priorities in your new role?

The ANJ is halfway through its 2024-2026 roadmap, which focuses on protecting minors, reducing excessive gambling, and mitigating the associated social harm.

While the ANJ has asked operators to transform their business model to significatively reduce the proportion of excessive gamblers among their players, 2025 should also be a pivotal year for achieving this objective, on an increasingly competitive market. 

In this context, our role is to keep the sector open and in good economic health, to tackle illegal gambling, and to manage innovation, while the new JONUM market (games with monetisable digital objects that can mainly be found on blockchain) is due to be regulated by the end of the year.

My main priority is to complete our roadmap and take up these challenges, alongside the ANJ team.

What experiences from your time at the Conseil d’État, particularly as auditor and Master of Requests, have best prepared you for leading the ANJ?

Before 2025, I was an auditor at the Conseil d’État, then a Master of Requests, and rapporteur for the Litigation Section and the Administration Section. During this period, I had the opportunity to carry out two assignments that led me to take an interest in the gambling regulation, firstly as legal advisor to the Government on the new regime for games with monetisable digital objects (JONUM), which led me to encounter a number of stakeholders in the gambling and JONUM sector and to get a better hold on gambling issues, and then as rapporteur for the États généraux de l’information, which enabled me to take a close interest in regulatory issues.

Your predecessor, Rémi Lataste, positioned the ANJ on a path of impactful regulation. What will be your key priorities to build on his legacy?

Under the leadership of the chair and the DG, the approach to gambling regulation has always been pragmatic and effective, and I will of course continue along this path. My main priority as of today is to successfully complete our roadmap and implement our strategic objectives, such as the reduction of the proportion of excessive players among gamblers, as efficiently as possible.

“Under the leadership of the chair and the DG, the approach to gambling regulation has always been pragmatic and effective, and I will of course continue along this path.”

Pauline Hot, director general of l’Autorité nationale des jeux.

Given the ongoing discussion on legalising online casinos in France, what is your stance on this issue, and how do you plan to approach it?

The ANJ took part in the initial discussions initiated by the Barnier government regarding the potential legalisation of online casinos last year. The ANJ believes that such a move should be considered with great caution, given the highly addictive nature of online casinos and the fact that the potential impact on the market would be comparable to that of 2010 when online gambling was opened up to competition. Given the significant risks to public health and the economic impact, if the government were to pursue this line of thinking, very cautious and gradual regulation would have to accompany the opening up of the market, along with very strict control measures, particularly with regard to vulnerable groups (young people and vulnerable gamblers). In any case, we now know from experience abroad that legalising online casinos will not completely wipe out illegal gambling.

“Legalising online casinos will not completely wipe out illegal gambling.”

Pauline Hot, director general of l’Autorité nationale des jeux.

How is the ANJ preparing to address emerging forms of gambling, such as igaming, loot boxes, and digital collectables, while safeguarding vulnerable players?

New innovative offers are emerging in France, shaking up the traditional boundaries of the sector and attracting young people in particular. This is the case with the experimentation of ‘games with monetizable digital objects’ (JONUM), the regulation of which has been entrusted by the legislator to the ANJ. The experimentation is expected to begin at the end of this year or at the start of 2026 at the latest, following the publication of the various decrees relating to the framework for these offers. 

This is a major challenge, since a subtle balance needs to be struck between protecting players, maintaining the distinction between this market and the gambling market and supporting innovation. 

Can you elaborate on any new measures or enhancements planned to strengthen the ANJ’s prevention of excessive gambling and protection of minors?

At the conference she organised at the end of June, the ANJ chairwoman proposed legislative changes to improve the French regulatory model. These would include:

– Less aggressive advertising (by instoring whistle to whistle ban);

– Stricter supervision of sponsorship to tackle the trivialisation of gambling and cut

the almost consubstantial and dangerous link between sports and gambling;

– New tools to protect the most vulnerable (by fostering loss limiters for 18-25 year olds for example).

At last, cultural changes are needed to reposition gambling as an entertainment economy, which implies collectively deconstructing the myth of ‘easy money’.

Looking ahead, how do you envision the ANJ’s relationship with other European regulators evolving, particularly on cross-border issues and best practices?

Above all, one of the ANJ’s priorities is to maintain close relations with its European neighbours. This is why the ANJ intends to continue developing its bilateral relations with its counterparts. This type of cooperation allows for more targeted collaboration on shared challenges. Topics such as the protection of young people, the regulation of new gambling products, and the fight against illegal operators can therefore be analysed in detail to find best practices or to consider a joint action on a specific point.

In addition, after chairing GREF for two years and consolidating its operations, the ANJ will remain fully engaged within its Working Groups, because GREF is a key forum for exchanging on cross-border issues and keeping up with developments in an increasingly dynamic gambling environment.

Finally, beyond the GREF, European regulators may meet to discuss specific cross-border issues. Our Authority will take part in these meetings when the topics discussed will be relevant for ANJ, especially as, here again, this type of meeting enables joint initiatives to be taken on specific points.