Betclic and Winamax fined by ANJ payout sweep

The French gambling regulator has penalised bookmakers for exceeding payout ratio limits related to the World Cup, with French media reporting that Betclic and Winamax are among the companies fined.

l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the Regulatory Authority for French Gambling has imposed fines of between €5,000 and €150,000 on eight online sportsbooks for exceeding the maximum payout ratio of 85%.

ANJ did not disclose which operators received specific fines, but according to Les Echos the ‘market leaders‘ Betclic and Winamax are understood to have been fined €150,000, while Kindred Group’s flagship brand Unibet was hit for €100,000. Further down the scale were PMU (€15,000) and NetBet (€10,000).

The penalties refer to operators’ activities in 2022, which culminated with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the French football team reaching the final. French operators enjoyed record activity during that year and told ANJ that wagering levels were such that they were not always able to stick to the payout limits.

ANJ said the size of each fine reflects “the extent to which the ratio was exceeded, the importance of the operator in the sector and/or the fact that the operator had already been the subject of a sanction” and follows seven decisions issued against operators in April 2023 for similar offences.

France’s Payout Design 

Bookmakers recorded more than €600m in stakes during the World Cup and exceeded the ratios by margins ranging from 0.1% (85,1%) to +1.1% (86.10%) to +5.3% (90.3%).

The maximum payout ratio allowed to be paid back to players by bookmakers was set at 85% when France regulated its OSB sector in 2010. Lawmakers say it acts as a tool to fight excessive gambling, money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities.

However, it compares with payout ratios of up to 97% in other European markets and while French operators are able to book margins into their forecasts, they have long complained about having to market tighter odds and illegal operators’ ability to attract punters with higher bonuses and payout ratios.

C’est la vie on Tax Increases 

In further regulatory developments, last week, French Senators approved to increase tax thresholds for gambling activities. The new rates set Lottery GGR to be taxed at 10%, retail sports betting at 10% (up from 7%), and online betting at 15% (up from the current 10.5%).

In October, Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s Budget 2025 proposed a tax hike across all gambling sectors, aiming to generate an additional €500 million from French operators. Although the plan was initially set for ministerial debate, Senators bypassed this process and approved its inclusion in France’s budget.

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This article is published by SBCNews in partnership with Gaming&Co.