The French gambling regulatory authority, Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has released its official gambling activity report for 2024, highlighting that the number of applications received was almost the same as in 2023.
ANJ data shows that in 2024, the organization handled 1,541 mediation requests. In fact, this number is almost the same as the number of requests received by ANJ in 2023, and about 88% of them were related to sports betting events.
Out of the total, mediators formally processed 741 files, of which 728 applications were deemed inadmissible. Moreover, 92% of the unsuccessful applications were rejected due to the lack of a prior written complaint directly to the operator involved with the issue. Furthermore, of the total 741 processed applications, 46.7% of the solutions proposed by ANJ were accepted by both parties. Overall, ANJ has a policy of a maximum processing time of 90 days. However, in 2024, the average processing time stabilized at 37 days.
As part of the latest report, mediators also highlighted four key recommendations for French gambling operators, the first of which advises operators to "refund the balance of player accounts in cases where accounts are closed due to suspected fraud." Secondly, ANJ recommends that operators try to "remove bets immediately after the event to improve the management of live betting," followed by the third recommendation for operators to "increase vigilance over temporary accounts." Lastly, ANJ also recommends that operators "take measures to prevent excessive gambling."
It is worth noting: In February, the French State Council upheld ANJ's authority over gambling regulation.
This latest report is one of the first actions taken by the newly appointed ANJ gaming mediator Jérôme Gallot, who took up the position after being listed in the Consumer Mediation Evaluation and Control Committee's list of consumer mediators in December.
Earlier this year, ANJ and DGCCRF called on French gamblers to bet cautiously ahead of the summer sports events of 2024, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
