As France prepares for its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Fédération Addiction has called for stronger controls on sports betting, warning that continued growth in the sector is creating significant health and social risks.
The organisation has put forward 15 proposals designed to strengthen player protection. Measures include banning athletes and sports personalities from promoting betting products, restricting gambling advertisements during live sporting events, ending gambling sponsorships in sport, and removing bonuses that encourage additional wagering.
It also wants authorities to pause further market expansion until prevention programmes, support services, and player protection measures receive greater attention.
Betting Growth Fuels Regulatory Debate
The proposals come as betting activity is expected to rise during the World Cup. During the 2022 tournament, almost €600 million was wagered online in France, an increase of more than 56% compared with the previous edition.
According to data cited by Fédération Addiction, around 600,000 players are considered highly likely to engage in excessive gambling and generate approximately 60% of gross gaming revenue.
France’s gambling market produced €2 billion in gross gaming revenue during the second half of 2025. Of that total, €1.2 billion came from players classified as high risk by the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ).
The organisation argues that sports betting has become a key entry point into gambling for younger people.
Marketing Practices Face Criticism
Fédération Addiction believes the growing visibility of betting brands has contributed to the normalization of gambling within sport. It points to advertising campaigns, sponsorship agreements, influencer activity, and the use of sports personalities in promotional material.
“Betting operators deliberately blur the lines between passion for sport and the incentive to gamble,” wrote Benjamin Tubiana-Rey, Head of Advocacy and Communication for Fédération Addiction.
“For many fans, betting now appears as a normal part of the sporting experience. These marketing strategies are not neutral: they primarily target young men, particularly those from underprivileged neighborhoods, who now constitute the core target audience for the growth of sports betting.”
The discussion follows recent reports that members of the French national team, including Kylian Mbappé and Rayan Cherki, sought intervention from the French Football Federation after images from the team’s training camp were reportedly used by bookmaker Betclic.
Calls to Treat Gambling Harm as a Health Issue
Fédération Addiction maintains that stronger safeguards are needed because gambling-related harm can have serious consequences.
“The consequences of problem gambling can be severe: debt, loss of control, psychological distress, suicidal risk, family, academic, or professional difficulties, and financial crime,” Tubiana-Rey continued.
“It also exacerbates social inequalities, as those who are most economically vulnerable are also the most susceptible to the financial consequences of excessive gambling. Addiction professionals are seeing an increasing number of gamblers in difficulty, even though prevention, harm reduction, and support services remain inadequately funded.
“Faced with the continued rise in gambling and the increasing prevalence of problem gambling, we are now confronted with a genuine public health emergency.”
While the organisation does not oppose sports betting, it is urging policymakers to make gambling-related harm a public health priority
Source:
“2026 FIFA World Cup: To ensure betting remains enjoyable, 15 urgent measures to regulate the sector”, federationaddiction.fr, Jun 15, 2026
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