ANJ: 10.4% growth in online sports betting GGR in France in 2025

The French National Gaming Authority (ANJ) published on 14 October 2026 a report documenting the performance of the online sports betting market in France during 2025. The regulator recorded a gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €1,766 million, a 10.4% increase versus 2024, while total stakes rose 12.0% to €11,517 million.

Growth of sports betting in France 2025: key figures

The market momentum in 2025 came mainly from football and tennis. Football accounted for 54.9% of betting volume and contributed two thirds of GGR. Tennis represented 23.0% of stakes and grew 16.0% without relying on exceptional tournaments.

The expansion of the UEFA Champions League was a concrete operational factor: the schedule increased from 137 matches in 2024 to 189 matches in 2025, and that change was associated with a 48.6% rise in bets on that competition.

The report also highlights management of return-to-player levels: the annual regulatory cap per operator is set at 85% RTP, and the annual RTP observed at the end of November 2025 stood at 84.67%.

ANJ report analysis and regulatory impact

The French National Gaming Authority frames the report as both a market activity review and an examination of risk-management practices. The document analyses bet structure, the influence of calendar changes on specific products and the application of the RTP cap that governs the supply available on licensed platforms.

The ANJ suggests that keeping RTP close to 85% responds to market operational adjustments and public-policy requirements to limit margin-based competitiveness between operators.

Player behaviour and risk signals identified by the ANJ

The report includes an analysis of football betting data from early 2026 that distinguishes recreational players from profiles classified as excessive or manifestly excessive. The main findings are:

• Recreational players prefer high-profile competitions and bets on final results or championships, including the 2026 World Cup.

• Players identified as excessive allocate more than 80% of their stakes to secondary leagues in specific markets: Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia.

• Those same players concentrate between 80% and 89% of their bets on live events over specific periods (halves, quarters, sets or individual games).

The ANJ indicates these patterns —high concentration in secondary leagues and in live short-period markets— could inform future player-protection measures and risk filters on licensed platforms.

What the findings mean for operators and platforms

For operators licensed in France, the report delivers clear operational signals: monitor exposure to secondary leagues and design controls over the supply of live short-period markets. It also suggests reviewing practices that affect the annual average RTP to ensure compliance with the 85% cap.

Platforms must be able to segment behaviour by customer segment and by product to detect stake-concentration patterns. Data integrations and real-time monitoring systems will be relevant to apply player-protection controls and to evidence compliance to the ANJ.

Product and format: how calendar changes affected betting

The report shows that not only total volume matters but how the offering is structured. The Champions League expansion generated greater pre-event and in-play betting activity; by contrast, secondary competitions and niches show bet profiles dominated by live and short-period markets.

That contrast suggests product adjustments —for example, limiting live short-period markets or adapting stake limits in certain leagues— could be regulatory and operational tools to mitigate risk.

Relevance for regulators and the international market

The ANJ connects its findings to possible regulatory interventions that would incorporate more specific protection measures on licensed platforms. The report does not propose concrete regulatory changes in the public text, but it provides evidence to design policies on market segmentation and controls against concentrated betting in secondary leagues.

"Concentration patterns in secondary leagues and in short-period live bets are risk signals that require tailored protection measures," states the ANJ report.

The ANJ report arrives in a context of sustained growth in the French online sports betting market in 2025 and gives operators and suppliers an operational database to adjust product and controls.