France Tightens Gambling Rules as Government Plan Approved

France’s gambling regulator, L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has approved La Française des Jeux’s (FDJ) betting and gaming programme for 2026, while tightening its oversight of excessive gambling. The approval comes with new restrictions and conditions aimed at curbing harmful gambling behaviours. Separately, ANJ sanctioned an unnamed operator with a €75,000 fine for failing to comply with data archiving rules.

As part of its statutory role, ANJ annually reviews and approves the operational programmes of France’s two exclusive gambling operators: FDJ, which handles lottery and instant games, and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), which manages horse racing bets. This process includes assessing how each operator addresses excessive and problem gambling.

In FDJ’s submission, the operator disclosed that indicators of gambling harm had worsened in 2024, citing data from the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. This marked a departure from the relative stability observed between 2020 and 2023.

While FDJ’s 2026 plan was approved, ANJ imposed several conditions targeting advertising practices, product offerings, and game design. Marketing language that suggests a player has the “best chance of winning” must be eliminated. More broadly, ANJ directed FDJ to lower the share of revenue derived from at-risk or problem gamblers across its online operations.

ANJ introduced specific limitations on FDJ’s product roadmap.

• Draw-based games: A request to expand Amigo, a popular draw game, was denied. A freeze on expanding the number of draw-based games introduced in 2025 will continue through 2026.
• Scratchcards: New physical scratchcard launches will be capped. Only three €3 games and two €5 games may be introduced or relaunched. Additionally, FDJ may not exceed nine €5 games in circulation at any one time across both online and retail platforms.
• Online-only games: The regulator asked FDJ to reduce offerings, especially games priced at €2, €3, and €5.

FDJ was also told to adjust or withdraw online scratchcard titles associated with high levels of excessive play, and to reduce the revenue share from problem gamblers on BingoLive. In a separate decision announced Friday, ANJ fined an unnamed operator €75,000 for failing to comply with France’s data archiving regulations over a 25-month period from 2022 to 2024. Licensed gambling operators in France must archive customer and betting data in real time and ensure its permanent availability to the regulator. ANJ found the operator had failed to transmit key betting data, excluding bets worth several million euros from the required system.

A second breach involved inaccurate data spanning more than 900,000 records, undermining ANJ’s ability to perform its monitoring duties. These include checks on player return rates and the detection of harmful gambling patterns.

Repeated data failures over two years significantly hinder our ability to monitor and protect players.

The Future

“Given these repeated failures lasting more than two years, the Sanctions Committee imposed a financial penalty of €75,000,” ANJ said, noting that the missing and flawed data significantly hindered its oversight function.
Regulatory Pressure Mounting

The developments highlight ANJ’s firm stance on consumer protection and operational compliance in the French gambling market. As the authority increases scrutiny of advertising practices, game design, and data transparency, operators are facing growing pressure to balance revenue generation with regulatory expectations.

For FDJ, maintaining its position as a state-approved monopoly now hinges not only on product performance but also on its ability to meet strict standards on harm prevention and data integrity.