French regulator approves La Française des Jeux’s betting offering but says it must lessen revenue from high-risk players
French gambling regulator L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has approved the gaming and betting program of La Française des Jeux for the year 2026, but has said it must ‘substantially reduce’ its revenue from high-risk players.
This framework, which the Authority is entitled to exercise, as the Conseil d’Etat recently recalled is based in particular on stabilising or reducing the number of games operated according to the types and ranges of games, the request to modify or withdraw games with the most excessive level of play, the refusal to put the “Amigo” game online or the removal of promotional messages incentives such as frequency of earnings and minimum earnings.
Each year, the National Gaming Authority approves the gaming and betting programme for the coming year of the operators holding exclusive rights (FDJ and PMU). This approval, where applicable, shall specify the conditions for the implementation of the games programme. This is one of the expressions of the close control exercised by the Authority over operators holding exclusive rights, in order to ensure that they comply with their enhanced obligations, in particular with regard to the prevention of excessive gambling.
Firstly, it is apparent from the data from the Canadian Excessive Gambling Index (“ICJE“) communicated by La Française des Jeux that, for the first time since 2020, the proportion of gamblers who are both excessive and problematic is increasing in 2024 compared to 2023 as regards all the activity under the exclusive rights of the operator, while these proportions had remained stable between 2020 and 2023.
In addition, the company La Française des Jeux has indicated that it wishes to “ensure the attractiveness of the lottery and sports betting offer at points of sale by promoting the ranges, innovation and digitalisation” in 2026 . The operator is thus offering an intensification of its commercial offer, through a dynamic animation of all its game ranges, a marked innovation strategy as well as the use of incentive design techniques.
In view of these elements, in its decision of 3 July 2025, the ANJ decided to approve the programme of the 2026 games, subject to several strict conditions.
In general, and in view of the ambiguity of these messages, La Française des Jeux must refrain from accompanying the marketing of its new games with promotional messages inciting the probability of winning attached to the game offered compared to the other games it markets (statements such as: “more than x chance(s) in x of winning“), “Best chance of winning €X“) as well as on the “minimum winnings” that can be won.
With regard to online games, society must endeavour to limit the share of gross gaming revenue generated by excessive and problem gamblers, across all ranges, all segments of the offer and all the games offered online. More specifically, with regard to the range of games with successive online draws, online scratch cards from the physical distribution network for €3 or more, and that of “Web Exclusive” games, it must reduce this share substantially; in particular, the company must withdraw or develop the games with the most excessive level of play.
As far as draw games are concerned, the digital extension of the “Amigo” game is not authorised and the freeze on the range of games with successive draws implemented in 2025 is maintained in 2026. La Française des Jeux must continue to reduce the share of the gross gaming revenue (GGR) of the “Bingo Live” game generated by excessive players and take new measures to substantially reduce the risks of the Amigo game in a physical distribution network.
As for scratch games offered in the physical distribution network and online, the freeze on the number of launches of new games at €3 or relaunches of games already authorized is maintained at three in 2026. The number of launches of new games at €5 or relaunches of already authorized games is limited to two in 2026. The number of scratch games marketed in 2026 in a physical distribution network and, where applicable, available online based on a unit bet of 5 euros does not exceed the number of nine.
Regarding games exclusively marketed online, the ANJ is asking for a reduction in their total number, which concerns in particular the ranges of games at €2, €3 and €5.
