France faces calls for cautious advertising of gambling
The French Gambling Authority (ANJ) has announced strict measures to regulate advertising and promotions for gambling and sports betting providers during major events like the upcoming European Championship and Olympic Games in 2024. The aim is to prevent excessive promotion, protect consumers, and combat problem gambling.
The ANJ's regulations focus on restricting misleading advertising, requiring full disclosure of promotional terms, increasing taxation to limit aggressive marketing, and enforcing strict data compliance to monitor promotions and player protection. Operators must ensure that all promotional content clearly discloses wagering requirements and does not mislead players.
Increased tax rates from July 2024 will curb excessive promotions, with the online gaming tax rate rising from 54.9% to 59.3% of gross gaming revenue. Operators are required to archive and provide accurate, real-time player and betting data to the ANJ to monitor advertising impact and gambling behavior effectively. Failures in data reporting can result in significant financial penalties.
Advertising must clearly present all bonus conditions, including wagering terms and expiration dates, to avoid misleading consumers. The regulations align with broader European regulations regarding gambling advertising, including the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD).
French gambling providers are required to present their annual advertising strategy to the ANJ at the beginning of the year for approval. The ANJ has reportedly rejected the advertising strategy of a provider, identified as WINAMAX, due to bonuses and financial rewards deemed inconsistent with French gambling policy.
Despite the rejection, a large majority of the 16 licensed gambling providers in France plan to stick to their previous strategies, with significantly higher investments planned for the two major sporting events in the summer. Most of the expenses are planned between May and July, as the World Cup and the Olympic Games will take place or be imminent during this period.
The ANJ anticipates a 14 percent growth in advertising investments for these events in 2024. The gambling providers in France will mainly focus on digital channels for their advertising, with 46 percent of the planned advertising investments allocated for online advertising. 26 percent are planned for TV advertising and 15 percent for sponsoring.
In other news, gambling advertising is under scrutiny in Britain, with clubs agreeing to remove all gambling advertising from the chests of their jerseys from the 2026/27 season onwards. Meanwhile, the UEFA has presented sports betting provider Betano as the official sponsor of the upcoming European Championship.
References:
- ANJ Press Release
- Gambling Times
- European Gaming
- AVMSD
- Pokerfuse
- What about the financial implications for casinos and gambling providers if they fail to comply with the strict data reporting requirements set by the ANJ, as penalties can be significant?
- Considering the upcoming European Championship and Olympic Games in 2024, will sports betting providers in France continue to focus on promoting their bonus offers and financial incentives, despite potential controversy and alignment issues with French gambling policy?
