The National Assembly of France has approved a series of amendments made to the “Professional Sports Bill”, which seeks to re-order controls and protections of professional sports and athlete rights.
The Bill carries a significant impact for the French online sports betting sector as it authorises the application of a “a loss limit wagering control on consumers aged 18-to-25.”
The protection has been discussed across assembly and regulatory ranks since the start of the year, as a much-needed protection for French youth prior to the World Cup 2026 kick-off in June.
In her outgoing statement as President of the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin stated that she had backed the measure, pointing to the regulatory research of online betting’s high engagement with under-25 consumers – in which the ANJ notes that two-thirds of under-25s have wagered on sports.
The amendments establish the legal obligation for the government to impose an age-specific loss limit on French sportsbook licences.
As yet, the legislation does not set the monetary threshold. Instead, the value of the loss cap will be determined by the French government through secondary regulation, following consultation with the ANJ.
Fixing French Sports
Though the gambling provision has drawn sector attention, it forms part of a broader re-ordering of the governance and oversight of French professional sports and its key partnerships.
The bill seeks to modernise league oversight and financial controls, introduce new governance rules for professional football and strengthen enforcement against audiovisual piracy.
Illegal broadcasting has become a key commercial concern for French football. Figures cited by the Association for the Protection of Sports Programmes (APPS) indicate that, among France’s estimated 9.9 million football fans, 59% have watched matches via pirated platforms.
APPS further estimates that one in five football supporters currently watches Ligue 1 illegally without holding an active subscription to either Ligue 1+ or BeIN Sports.
Lawmakers have argued that stronger enforcement powers are required to protect domestic media rights and improve the financial sustainability of professional sport.
Youth under control
Should the legislation complete its parliamentary passage, France would become the second regulated gambling market in Europe, after the Netherlands, to legislate for mandatory youth-specific loss limits for young adult consumers aged under 24.
Norway operates compulsory loss limits through state monopoly Norsk Tipping, although these apply within a monopoly framework rather than a competitive licensing regime.
The reforms also track a wider European shift towards age-targeted gambling protections. In the UK, a £2 maximum stake limit for online slot games played by customers aged 18 to 24 came into force in May 2025 under the implementation of the Gambling Act Review White Paper.
France’s proposal goes further by applying controls to customer gambling losses, rather than restricting stakes on a single vertical.
The legislation coincides with a leadership transition at the ANJ, where Pascal Chèvremont has begun his tenure as President, succeeding Falque-Pierrotin after her five-year mandate overseeing the creation of France’s unified gambling regulatory framework.
Chèvremont inherits the regulatory agenda of the ANJ and its upcoming policy direction on key issues under revision .
Alongside the implementation of the youth loss-limit framework, the regulator is expected to oversee new gambling advertising controls and play a central role in developing a new ‘protection architecture’ for French gambling consumers (retail and online).
Furthermore, Chèvremont will lead the ANJ in on-going discussions with the government and relevant stakeholders on France’s establishing a roadmap to launch a safe and regulated icasino market.
