Eric Sjöden, senior advisor for international affairs at France’s gambling regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), believes that having a symbiotic relationship with France’s gambling market is crucial to how the regulator operates.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that France’s gambling market never quite recovered from the free-for-all advertising glut during the 2020 UEFA European Championship.
It prompted ANJ to crack down harder than ever on marketing in the country, telling operators “a line was crossed” in terms of volume. Throughout 2022, ANJ made actionable moves to reduce the number of gambling ads put out by operators. This was to protect young people and vulnerable groups in particular.
But these were not sweeping, quickly implemented regulations. Instead, ANJ launched a public consultation on the matter to gauge the feelings of both operators and the public. This is a central part of how France regards its gambling market, says Sjöden.
Lines of communication
Keeping this dialogue going is crucial. To make sure lines of communication remain open, each year ANJ requires operators to submit action plans tackling fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing and safer gambling.
“This provision allows for ongoing dialogue between operators and the regulator,” Sjöden explains. “[The regulator] may make recommendations at the same time.
“What we see with those is an improvement year after year in terms of governance, understanding risk and managing the business relationship, even if ANJ rejected one action plan from one operator.”
ANJ is not shy about rejecting these action plans if they’re not up to par. In April, the regulator dismissed six problem gambling action plans, noting that there had been “few significant advances or innovative actions” in plans belonging to casinos and gaming clubs in particular.
Regulating like this, says Sjöden, obligates operators to foresee gaps “before an issue can occur”. For him, this approach rivals those in other European markets.
