France has decided to introduce a new regulatory body that will help the country exert more control over the gambling activities that go on in various domestic markets. This decision comes…
…at the heels of FDJ, or La Française des Jeux, which would be the lottery monopoly in the country. The new regulatory body promises to completely centralize all regulatory systems.
Simplifying Control Over Gambling Activities:
French L’autorite Nationale de Regulation des Jeux en Ligne or ARJEL, will relinquish most of its regulatory duties to the newly formed L’autorite Nationale des Jeux or ANJ. The new organization is meant to unify this country’s gambling oversight and make it more efficient. The French domestic market is home to some of the largest online casino operators in Europe, including Betclic and others.
Having a highly focused national commission will enable existing operators and slot game developers, as well as new ones, to enter the market under more defined rules.
The move to create a new regulatory body comes ahead of the privatization of lottery monopoly FDJ.
Insights:
The Council of Ministers in France has offered a more detail insight regarding the newly formed body: “The National Gambling Authority (ANJ) will become the main player in the regulation of gambling in France. This new independent administrative authority will be endowed with reinforced powers, over a broad scope of competences. In the competitive online sports betting sector, the ANJ will take over the mission of issuing the licenses to online gambling or betting operators, now exercised by ARJEL. It will see its powers of supervision strengthened: the authority will indeed be able to prescribe to an operator the withdrawal of any commercial communication inciting to play excessively.”
They have further added that: “On the casino sector: the skills of the ANJ will focus on the fight against excessive gambling. The regulation of this activity for its other aspects, however, will continue to be the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, because of its specificities.”
Preventing Risk Gambling:
France is one of the latest countries to focus its national gambling policy on the promotion of safe gambling practices as well as the prevention of risk gambling. They stand shoulder to shoulder with the United Kingdom who has optimized their national strategy towards a healthier gambling environment.
The shift towards safe gambling practices will impact operators who are using borderline predatory tactics in order to attract new players. The new governing body will no doubt…
…set new rules regarding the marketing of online casinos as well as other types of gambling platforms. Despite there being very few reasons for alarm, many are wondering what kind of impact will the new regulatory body have on the iGaming industry in this country?
More restrictive regulations oftentimes lead to shrinkage in services offered, thus forcing players to seek the thrill outside national borders. So far, there are no indications that operators will have to take drastic measures to protect their businesses. However, it is yet uncertain what the future holds in this regard.
Source: Narayan, Niji. “France to Launch a New National Gambling Authority Ahead of FDJ Privatisation” https://europeangaming.eu/portal/compliance-updates/2019/10/07/55826/france-to-launch-a-new-national-gambling-authority-ahead-of-fdj-privatisation/. European Gaming. October 7, 2019.
