France to Launch a New National Gambling Authority Ahead of FDJ Privatisation

France is going to introduce a new national gambling authority, L’autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) to replace the current regulator, l’autorité nationale de régulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL), ahead of the privatisation of lottery monopoly La Française des Jeux (FDJ).

Currently, online gambling in France is regulated by ARJEL, while casinos, horse racing in Paris and lottery games are regulated by the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of the Economy and Finance. Under the new regulations, ANJ will act as a single body to oversee gambling in the country.

“The National Gambling Authority (ANJ) will become the main player in the regulation of gambling in France. This new independent administrative authority will be endowed with reinforced powers, over a broad scope of competences. In the competitive online sports betting sector, the ANJ will take over the mission of issuing the licenses to online gambling or betting operators, now exercised by ARJEL. It will see its powers of supervision strengthened: the authority will indeed be able to prescribe to an operator the withdrawal of any commercial communication inciting to play excessively,” the Council of Ministers in France said.

“On the casino sector: the skills of the ANJ will focus on the fight against excessive gambling. The regulation of this activity for its other aspects, however, will continue to be the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, because of its specificities,” the Council of Ministers added.