Regulator: Autorité Nationale des Jeux
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1) Briefly about the main thing
ANJ is France's national gambling regulator, created on January 1, 2020 to replace ARJEL. The reform is enshrined in Ordinance No. 2019-1015 and subsequent decrees that expanded supervision: from authorizations and monitoring of operators to advertising control and sanctions.
2) Why France needs a single regulator
Government gaming policy has three goals: prevent harm and protect minors; ensure honesty/transparency; anti-fraud and anti-money laundering. These benchmarks are enshrined in the Internal Security Code (CSI) and are implemented through ANJ practices.
3) From ARJEL to ANJ: A timeline of reforms
2010: Law No. 2010-476 opens a regulated online market (sports, horse racing, poker) and creates ARJEL.
2019 → 2020: Ordinance No. 2019-1015 reforms the architecture: ANJ becomes a single "umbrella" body, the successor to ARJEL; procedures and sanctions are maintained without interruption.
4) ANJ credentials (what exactly does)
Permits and supervision of operators operating in the French market.
Responsible Gambling: limits, self-exclusion, age control, complaints.
Control of communications and advertising: content/targeting requirements, "watersheds," youth-appeal ban.
Fight against illegal immigrants: administrative blocking and dereferencing of sites, coordination with the financial sector and platforms.
5) Enforcement practices: black market and sanctions
ANJ systematically increases pressure on the illegal online segment: in 2024, the regulator blocked over 1.3 thousand. URL and initiated hundreds of administrative procedures; measures are also applied to payment channels and promotional strategies of violators.
6) Minors and vulnerable groups
The sale of games and admission to them are prohibited for persons under the age of 18 (retail and online). ANJ conducts educational campaigns and relies on CSI standards to develop recommendations for schools, families and operators.
7) Documents and "skeleton" of regulation
Ordinance No. 2019-1015 - ANJ succession, transitional provisions, re-marking of powers.
Decrees 2020-199 and 2020-1349 - organization, control and sanctions.
Lines of guidelines (lignes directrices) - uniform approaches to advertising and consumer protection (games are allowed "by exception" and require strict framing).
8) What the user sees (RG minimum in practice)
Limits (deposits/time), reality check, timeout and long-term self-exclusion.
Age/personality verification, understandable 18 + warnings, bonus policy without "easy money."
Complaints and mediation: a single procedure for consideration, transparent deadlines.
9) Market & Reporting
ANJ publishes market reviews and annual reports: in 2024, gross revenue (PBJ/GGR) reached ~ €14 billion (+ 4.7% YoY), with growth primarily in lotteries and sports betting. In parallel, the court confirmed the right of the regulator to limit the offer and industrial strategies of monopolies in order to protect players.
10) How the operator meets the requirements (checklist)
1. Authorization/license from ANJ and connection to reporting systems.
2. RG by design: "default" limits, self-exclusion, warning visibility and help help.
3. Advertising: youth-safe creative, frequency caps, no misleading statements.
4. KYC/AML: identification procedures, transaction monitoring, log storage.
5. Anti-illegal: active cooperation with ANJ on blocking mirrors and financial flows.
11) Frequent Questions (FAQs)
ANJ = "online regulator"? No, it isn't. This is a single supervisory authority (with a focus on consumer, advertising and online) that interacts with other CSI modes for terrestrial formats.
Can I play underage? No, a total ban; the operator must block access and train personnel to identify violations.
What does ANJ do with illegal sites? Writes administrative locks/dereferencing, accesses payment and search services, maintains information campaigns.
Editorial blocks (templates)
Table A - Regulator Milestones
Table B - ANJ Authorizations
Table C - Policy Objectives (CSI)
TL; DR
ANJ is France's single gambling regulator since 2020 (ARJEL's successor). It issues permissions and monitors operators, controls advertising, implements and checks responsible gaming tools, and blocks illegal sites. The goals of the state are spelled out in the CSI: protection of players (especially minors), market integrity and anti-laundering.