ANJ Fines Online Operator €500,000 for Player Risk Management Failures

The Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), France's gambling regulator, has fined an online operator—referred to as Company X—€500,000. This penalty results from Company X's failure to properly identify and support customers showing signs of problem gambling, as revealed in an investigation spanning from October 2023 to March 2024.

ANJ's Investigation and Findings

During this period, the ANJ evaluated Company X's account data stored in its secured data vault, referred to as "coffre-fort." Using a scoring system based on indicators like deposit frequency, betting intensity, loss patterns, and self-exclusion history, the regulator identified 30 high-risk players. Among these, 29 were central to the grievances filed by the regulator. Six players were not identified at all, while 23 were misclassified at a lower risk level.

Company X did not offer suitable support or interventions to 25 of these players to mitigate their gambling behaviour. The combined net losses for these players amounted to €683,355, with Company X gaining €190,501.86 during this timeframe.

Legal Framework and Sanctions

The ruling is based on the amended 12 May 2010 gambling law and the Code de la sécurité intérieure, obliging online operators to detect and address excessive gambling. Additionally, the April 2021 framework outlines expected indicators for risk detection.

The ANJ's sanctions commission emphasized that detecting risky behaviour and providing support are separate obligations, each enforceable on its own. Company X's failure on these fronts justified the sanctions.

Though the framework is flexible, operators must prove "all necessary efforts" using both recommended and additional data. In May, the ANJ released a new algorithm to better identify problem gamblers, which surpasses existing operator reports.

Company X's Response

Company X disputed the ANJ's methodology, citing a lack of legal definition for "excessive" gambling and questioning specific indicator implementations, like "completed bets" and account limit transfers. They argued that their interventions—such as warning emails and temporary suspensions—were proper.

Despite upgrading their detection algorithm and increasing player protection teams, their arguments were dismissed. The ANJ's commission confirmed the framework's legality and enforceability.

Past Sanctions and Current Decision

The commission acknowledged the role of automated emails in harm reduction but criticized ongoing bonuses to high-risk players. Previous sanctions against Company X included a fine in 2024 for breaching payout rate ceilings. However, this instance was treated independently.

The decision from 10 July 2026 will be formally notified to Company X, who has two months to appeal through administrative courts.