In France, there is an official list of sports matches that people are allowed to bet on. This sports list determines which matches are reliable enough for betting providers.
In 2024, the French gambling market grew significantly. Gross gaming revenue (GGR) reached €14 billion, up 4.7% on the previous year. This growth is in line with the average for European markets of a comparable size.
The famous X account ‘Has Mbappé scored a free-kick?’ has undergone a major change. The account that asked the same question about Kylian Mbappé every day for years is now owned by Polymarket.
Online slots remain banned in France for the time being. While the government is looking into expanding the offer, regulators are keeping the brakes on for now.
Many gambling companies get their biggest profits from a small group of players who spend too much money. This is no accident. The industry has quietly adjusted to this for years.
Two Ukrainians have been sentenced to 15 months in prison for orchestrating a sophisticated cheating operation at the Annecy casino, using micro-cameras, earphones and artificial intelligence to analyse the cards in real time via an accomplice abroad. The duo, who pocketed more than €270,000 since 2023, were arrested after a nationwide investigation.
The ANJ has launched an innovative e-learning module to train casino and gaming club professionals to identify and support excessive or pathological gamblers. This interactive tool, inspired by a guide published in January 2024, offers realistic 3D immersion and has already enabled more than 1,000 certificates to be issued in just a few months.
In an exclusive interview, we spoke with Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President of the French National Gaming Authority (ANJ) and the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF).
The National Gaming Authority has assessed gambling operators’ action plans to combat money laundering in 2024. While progress has been made, shortcomings remain, particularly in detection systems and the handling of alerts.
The ANJ is stepping up its action against excessive gambling and underage gambling by imposing strict prevention plans on operators. Faced with alarming figures – 1.17 million problem gamblers by 2024, including 360,000 problem gamblers – the ANJ is demanding concrete, measurable measures, including early detection of risky behaviour and personalised support for vulnerable gamblers.
The Médiateur des jeux’s 2024 report highlights a year marked by a large number of disputes, particularly in sports betting, but also by better cooperation from operators, with 47% of proposals accepted.
Five men have been arrested for cheating as part of an organised gang at the Pasino in La Grande-Motte, causing a loss of €76,000. Thanks to CCTV footage, the management discovered that they were using an iron rod inserted into the roulette wheel to manipulate the trajectory of the ball and distort the results.
The JOA Casino in Le Tréport, located in Seine-Maritime, has become one of the first gaming establishments in France to accept payments in cryptocurrencies. The move, made possible through a partnership with fintech LYZI, allows players to convert their cryptos into euros securely and seamlessly.
Since September 2024, the National Gaming Authority (NGA) has stepped up its efforts to raise awareness among young amateur sportsmen and women of the risks associated with sports betting. In collaboration with the SportEasy application, an awareness campaign has been launched, followed by free sessions in sports associations.
On 28 February 2025, the seven Parisian gaming clubs were authorised to reopen. This put an end to two months of forced closure. The reopening was made possible by a decree issued by the Ministry of the Interior and validated by the Council of State.
