The ANJ’s campaign is aimed at young people.
France.- The French gambling regulator L’Autorité Nacionale des Jeux (ANJ) has launched an awareness and prevention campaign on gambling harm ahead of Euro 2024. Designed by the agency Rosbeef!, the campaign appears to criticise the mandatory warnings on gambling operators’ ads, suggesting that they are insufficient to highlight the risks of sports betting addiction.
The includes stories of addiction and directs people to the Evalujeu website, which provides tools for the evaluation of gambling habits and access to advice and support services. There will be digital display ads, social ads on Snapchat, a digital audio radio spot, publication in So Foot and video clips with player testimonials.
The launch of the campaign follows a study that sound that more than half of the French population plans to follow Euro 2024 and over a third of those plan to bet. Football is the most popular sport for betting in France, representing 52 per cent of online bets, worth over €4bn in wagers in 2023.
The ANJ severely crictised betting operators over their heavy marketing during the previous Euro football championship in 2021.
ANJ president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin said: “Since the excesses of the Euro in 2021, gambling operators have become aware of their responsibilities in the fight against excessive gambling and have adjusted their practices. This positive dynamic must continue during the Euro and the Olympic Games and the ANJ will be vigilant on the actual practices of each.”
Last month, the French gambling ombudsman Médiateur des Jeux issued its annual report. It claimed that operators are delaying or rejecting account suspension measures. Honorary magistrate Denys Millet called on operators to implement such measures as soon as a player does not respond to prevention messages, avoids attempts at contact or changes gambling behaviour by increasing his deposits and bets, reflecting a clear loss of control.