The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), France’s gaming authority, has launched a new information campaign called “100% winner?” to warn the public about the risks of illegal online casinos.
The campaign supports the ANJ’s strategic plan for 2024-2026, which focuses on addressing key challenges in the French gambling market, including efforts to curb illegal gambling.
The ANJ introduced the campaign following a 2023 study by PwC, which revealed that three to four million people in France have gambled on illegal websites. Online casinos, in particular, are the most popular form of illegal gambling.
The “100% winner?” campaign, which started in October, aims to inform the public that online casinos are illegal in France. The country only regulates online poker, sports betting, and horse racing.
In addition to raising awareness about the legality of online casinos, the campaign will educate the public on the dangers of illegal gambling, such as addiction and financial problems, and aims to reduce harmful behaviours.
Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President of the ANJ, explained, “The illegal supply of online gambling represents between 5% and 11% of the overall gambling market in France. It is particularly harmful for the players who consume it: addiction, over-indebtedness, family problems, etc.”
Falque-Pierrotin also highlighted the broader consequences of illegal gambling. “This parallel market constitutes a real financial support for multiple international criminal organisations. This is why the ANJ is determined to use all the levers at its disposal to stop this illegal supply.”
The “100% winner?” campaign will feature eye-catching visuals of online casinos in advertisements across gaming apps, web banners, and platforms like Twitch, Snapchat, and TikTok. These ads will direct the public to a webpage that explains why online casinos are banned, the dangers they pose, and how to identify illegal websites.
Since March 2022, the ANJ has used its authority to block and delist illegal gambling sites, issuing 506 administrative actions and blocking 2,365 URLs. However, illegal operators continue to resurface by creating “mirror sites” with different URLs.
To address concerns, the ANJ works with payment providers, search engines, and other intermediaries, while also cooperating with national and European authorities to enhance enforcement and prevention efforts.