France gambling monopoly has plans struck down

The French gambling regulator has asked monopoly operator La Française des Jeux to come up with a new promotional strategy for 2023 after rejecting its original plans.

Autorité nationale des jeux said FDJ’s plans “cannot be regarded as sufficiently measured and limited” in relation to the advertising that a gambling monopoly can legally carry out.

Gambling operators in France must each year submit their advertising and promotional plans to the ANJ, which looks to prevent excessive or pathological gambling and the protection of minors among other priorities with its analysis.

The regulator said the country’s 17 online operators and two monopolies, FDJ and PMU, “have generally complied” with the regulations.

However, the ANJ noted that the two monopolies must have a “measured and limited” strategy because of their “specific status.”

The National Gaming Authority said FDJ had a “very large number” of large-scale promotional, institutional and sponsorship campaigns planned.

It said the plans would have conveyed the lottery as “a product of everyday consumption” through the use of influence, activating bonuses, bargains and slogans.

FDJ has one month at the latest to revise its plans.

Elsewhere, the ANJ noted “several points of vigilance” for the country’s online operators, including the “high level of promotional investments” despite the lack of major sporting events in 2023 compared to 2022. Indeed, operators plan to commit to €630m to such investments this year, a six per cent increase on the 2022 figure.

The ANJ concluded that it is “considering the advisability of proposing additional measures to the public authorities in the coming months to reinforce the supervision of advertising for gambling.”