2025 report from the Gaming Mediator 

On 28 April 2026, the Gaming Mediator published its annual report for 2025. This document highlights a significant rise in requests for mediation, mainly relating to sports betting, whilst noting a marked improvement in the dispute resolution rate. 

A year marked by a sharp rise in referrals

In 2025, the Gaming Mediator received 1,856 referrals, representing a 20% increase compared to the previous year. This rise reflects growing tension in relations between players and operators, particularly in the sports betting sector. 91.5% of admissible requests relate to sports betting. 

The disputes raised by players are recurring. They mainly concern account management — account freezes, closures or difficulties in withdrawing funds — as well as disputes over results or the cancellation of bets. Many players criticise decisions they consider arbitrary.

Despite this rise in disputes, the acceptance rate for the mediator’s proposals has risen sharply. It reached 64% in 2025, compared with 46% in 2024. According to the report, this increase reflects “greater relevance and a better balance in the proposed solutions”. Players and operators appear to be more committed to the process, which encourages amicable resolutions and limits legal action.

Shorter, but uneven, processing times

Another notable improvement: the average time taken to process cases is now 30 days. This is well below the maximum of 90 days stipulated by the Consumer Code.

However, this improvement masks disparities. The mediator laments “extremely long delays for certain operators”.

The problem of withdrawals from mediation

Whilst mediation is making progress, it remains dependent on the goodwill of the parties. However, the report highlights a major difficulty: the increase in withdrawals during proceedings.

One operator withdrew from 126 cases. This represents more than a third of the cases handled with this operator. A situation that fuels players’ frustration and calls into question the effectiveness of the system.

Understanding the role of the gaming mediator

The gaming mediator, appointed on 2 December 2024 in the person of Jérôme Gallot, intervenes to facilitate the amicable resolution of disputes.

Before referring a matter to the mediator, players must contact the operator in writing. Only if they receive an unsatisfactory response or no response within 20 days may they initiate mediation.

The procedure remains voluntary. The parties may withdraw from it at any time. Above all, the mediator’s decision is not binding: everyone is free to accept it or not. This flexibility encourages dialogue, but may also prevent certain cases from being resolved.

Of the 1,856 requests received, 843 were deemed inadmissible. This is a significant figure, even though the rate has fallen slightly. In 90% of cases, players had not made a prior complaint to the operator.

The Mediator’s recommendations

The report mentions few disputes related to addiction, but the existing cases are telling. Some players criticise operators for not having put sufficient protective measures in place. Conversely, others contest the restrictions imposed on their accounts, believing they do not exhibit problematic behaviour.

In light of this situation, the mediator urges caution. He calls on operators to remain vigilant and to contact players in cases of doubt. As for players, he advises them to regularly assess their gaming habits and to use tools such as self-exclusion or registration on the voluntary gambling exclusion register.

Promotional offers, particularly welcome bonuses, are also under scrutiny by the mediator. The messages sent to players are not personalised, which may lead them to believe they are eligible for an offer… when in fact they are not.

The mediator recommends that operators clearly display the terms and conditions, for example via messages displayed before a bet is confirmed. To players, he offers a simple but essential piece of advice: check your eligibility before depositing money.

The number of disputes related to fraud is rising sharply. Two factors explain this trend: the increase in fraudulent behaviour and the improvement in detection tools. Certain practices are singled out: the use of multiple accounts, the misuse of promotional offers, or the circumvention of protective measures.

The Mediator is clear: in the event of fraud, losses are generally not reimbursed and funds may be frozen.

Live betting is another area requiring vigilance. Whilst the data provided by operators is generally reliable, errors can occur. Some players claim to have been misled by incorrect or out-of-date information.

The report points out that these figures are provided for information purposes only. In the event of an error, the operator is not necessarily liable. The mediator therefore advises punters to check the results on the organisers’ official websites before placing a bet.