The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), France’s gambling regulator, has unveiled a new algorithm designed to estimate problem gambling activity across France – and initial signs are those which cause concern.
Findings revealed that players identified as high-risk generated 60% of total operator gross gaming revenue (GGR), which the regulator described as “concerning”.
The ANJ has warned of a dual upward trend in both the number of problem gamblers and their contribution to operator revenues.
According to the ANJ, the algorithm identified approximately 600,000 players with a high probability of excessive gambling during the second half of 2025.
This represented 8.7% of the total online account-based gambling population across licensed operators, including accounts at FDJ United and Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) accounts – two of the country’s biggest gambling businesses.
Of those 600,000 players, the regulator said around 300,000 were classified as “manifestly excessive” gamblers whose identification by operators should be considered imperative.
The ANJ further revealed that these high-risk players generated approximately €1.2bn (£1.03bn) in GGR, accounting for 60% of total online gambling revenue. It noted that this proportion has been steadily increasing since 2023.
In response, the ANJ concluded that operators’ current efforts to identify and support excessive gamblers remain insufficient.
World Cup worry?
It will also be wary ahead of this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup – an event which ANJ has already warned gambling companies of concocting excessive marketing strategies around.
To add more worry, a 2024 French report found that 15.3% of sports bettors are currently considered to be problem gamblers.
The new algorithm forms part of the regulator’s 2024-2026 strategic plan, which places the reduction of excessive and pathological gambling at the centre of French gambling regulation.
Under French law, operators are required to identify and support problem gamblers through measures including player interventions, gambling limits, account monitoring, referrals to support organisations and, where necessary, account closures.
Measures around the subject have been ramping up in recent times, with the ANJ introducing a newly-designed national self-exclusion register for gambling harms.
While the regulator acknowledged some improvement in operator performance – with identified excessive gamblers increasing from 31,000 in 2024 to 89,000 in 2025 – it stated that these figures still fall well below what would be expected given the size of the player base and prevalence studies.
To address this, the ANJ developed the algorithm using player account data continuously transmitted by licensed operators, alongside scientific research into gambling behaviour.
ANJ’s algorithm to separate players
The system evaluates players using 23 indicators and risk criteria covering financial transactions, gambling frequency, moderator usage and player history. Based on these factors, players are categorised into four groups:
- recreational players
- moderate-risk players
- excessive players
- manifestly excessive players
The ANJ stated that the algorithm’s performance was validated against the Canadian Problem Gambling Index under the supervision of a scientific committee made up of recognised researchers.
Although similar projects are being explored in markets including Spain and the Netherlands, the ANJ said its model is currently the first operational tool of its kind available in Europe.
Operators will be able to use the algorithm voluntarily alongside their own internal monitoring systems, however, the ANJ indicated it expects operators to rapidly improve detection standards, particularly regarding the 300,000 players classified as manifestly excessive.
Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President of the ANJ, said: “The finalisation of this algorithm and its availability to operators constitute a decisive step for the regulator. This demonstrates its ability to design an innovative and effective tool, conceived to closely reflect the realities of online gambling practices.
“Complementing existing surveys, the algorithm allows for a more objective assessment of the efforts to identify problem gamblers, which operators must continue without delay.
“Finally, it is essential that this identification also be carried out at points of sale, an objective we have been asking the two monopolies to pursue since 2024.”