Online casinos are banned in France, but minors are still able to access black market sites. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Regulator agrees partnership

French gambling regulator L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has agreed to a new cooperation agreement with the National Union of Family Associations (UNAF) to help prevent problem and underage gambling.

ANJ president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin and UNAF president Marie-André Blanc signed the deal last week, which prioritizes protecting minors and excessive gamblers. Both of these pillars were central to the ANJ’s two-year plan, which was published in January 2024.

UNAF and the ANJ have worked together on gambling-related harm since 2020

UNAF is the official representative for families in French politics, and gambling from minors has long been a focus of the organization. UNAF and the ANJ have worked together on gambling-related harm since 2020, after a study showed that there were around 1.4 million people in France at risk of gambling addiction.

New joint program

An ANJ press release announcing the agreement stated: “These figures… illustrate the reality of a social problem, for young people in particular, with collateral damage in the player’s immediate entourage: over-indebtedness, family problems, academic difficulties, etc.”

“Other studies have also shown a proven and significant practice of gambling among minors, despite the ban on sales to them.”

The ANJ also outlined how the program will differ from previous arrangements, saying that it “will be more focused on the development of tools for professionals who support vulnerable groups, with priority given to budgetary support mechanisms and the provision of resources to these groups.”

The ANJ gave three examples of new initiatives which will be pursued, including commissioning studies and publishing awareness materials, the development of new tools to support families in preventing underage gambling and managing addiction, and designing new training programs for professionals.

Growing black market

French gambling regulators have also been focused on tackling the country’s growing black market, which has proliferated amid tight restrictions on online gaming.

Legal bets placed at the 2024 European Football Championships were 50% lower than expected, as fears were raised over an increasing move of French gamblers to black market operators.

France has also launched an investigation into illegal gambling on the Telegram messaging platform, which culminated in the company’s CEO Pavel Durov being arrested in Paris earlier this year.