Regulator reiterates that operators must comply with their obligations to identify and support players whose gambling habits are excessive or pathological

France’s gambling regulator has fined an unnamed operator €500,000 for failing to meet its obligations to identify and support players exhibiting problem gambling behaviour. 

The National Gaming Authority (ANJ) imposed the penalty after its Sanctions Committee met to review proceedings concerning a licensed operator that was alleged to have failed to comply with its obligations regarding the identification of and support for excessive or pathological gamblers.

Using data from the “vault” – the digital repository recording all transactions made by online players – ANJ investigators examined the status of thirty players showing a clear risk of excessive or pathological gambling between 1 October 2023 and 31 March 2024. 

The investigators relied specifically on seven indicators derived from the reference framework for preventing excessive or pathological gambling and protecting minors. This includes deposit frequency, a high number of lost deposits, frequency of play, a high number of wagers, changes to one or more of the four statutory gambling control settings, activation of the self-exclusion mechanism, and the number of accounts opened by the player with the operator during the period. 

Upon completion of its review, the Committee found that the unnamed operator had failed to meet its identification obligations regarding virtually all players in the sample. Some players had not been identified as posing a risk, while others had been assigned a risk level that did not adequately reflect their actual gaming behaviour. 

The Committee also noted that the operator had failed to implement the “graduated and proportionate” support measures required to moderate these players’ gaming habits.

With this decision, the Committee reaffirms the central importance of operators complying with their obligations to identify and support players whose gambling habits are excessive or pathological.

The decision may be appealed before the Council of State within two months.