Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin: “Gambling must gradually shift towards a less intensive model”

The President of the French gambling regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) tells Focus Gaming News why she thinks operators need to change their economic model.

Exclusive interview.- As we approach the end of 2025, Focus Gaming News has been speaking to some of the world’s leading gambling regulators to get their views on what’s changed in the past year and where they see regulation advancing in 2026. One regulator with firm opinions and objectives is Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, president of l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ).

In this exclusive interview, she outlines the French gambling regulator’s current challenges and expectations for the year ahead. She also describes the regulator’s fight against the idea that gambling is an ordinary leisure product.

What do you consider the most significant regulatory developments in France in 2025?

In its 2024-2026 strategic roadmap, the ANJ has asked the operators to change their economic model. We strongly believe that gambling regulation must take a turn that involves the market gradually shifting towards a less intensive model. 

Although gambling operators have made progress in this area over the past three years, problem gambling still occupies too large a place in the gambling market. In 2024, the OFDT estimated that there were 1,170,000 problem gamblers, including 360,000 who gambled excessively. We are faced with a paradox: gambling is ‘a product unlike any other’ but has become, particularly with digitalisation, a common consumer product that is becoming increasingly commonplace. Problem gambling generates more than 38 per cent of the sector’s turnover, with excessive gamblers alone accounting for 21 per cent.

We are now almost at the end of this strategic roadmap, and we have developed a complete toolkit for operators to support them in this ambitious change: action plans for the prevention of excessive gambling, practical guides, e-learning modules for casinos, etc. 

In addition and in order to have a reference base on the number of excessive gamblers online, the ANJ has developed an algorithm for detecting them. It is currently undergoing scientific validation, and the first results appear to be very positive. In 2026, the ANJ will be able to make this tool available to operators, enabling them to assess their level of identification against the standards established by the regulator.

In parallel with these support measures, the ANJ has strengthened its enforcement arsenal. The public fine of €800,000 imposed this year on an operator for malfunctions in its self-exclusion system sent a strong signal to operators.   

Finaly, The ANJ has stepped up its efforts to combat illegal gambling. It has mobilised all possible legal levers to fight illegal gambling more effectively. Thanks to its administrative blocking powers, it has blocked the same number of sites in one year as it did in 12 years of legal proceedings (1,300 sites blocked). It has also developed judicial cooperation and is experimenting with blocking financial flows. Despite these numerous, more effective and more varied initiatives, illegal gambling remains a major concern for the regulator. 

What factors have presented the greatest regulatory challenge to the ANJ’s harm prevention efforts?

Advertising regulation is still a key issue even though a lot of actions have been taken by ANJ since the Euros in 2021.

Since the clarification in 2022 on advertising content rules with the publishing of guidelines and the withdrawal of Winamax’s La Daronne campaign, the tone of advertising campaigns has really changed. Thanks to the agreement with the ARPP (French self-regulatory body for advertising) in July 2023, the ANJ is consulted prior to the broadcast of advertisements that may tricky. 

This a priori supervision of advertising campaigns, but only TV, which we carry out jointly with the ARPP to remove from operators’ adverts notions of lifestyle change, enrichment or the glorification of excessive behaviour, is very effective. In 2024/2025, we rejected three campaign projects, and our  comments led to significant changes in the projects.

The main 2025 campaigns mark a positive development as they are much less commercially aggressive.

Nevertheless, we believe that out legal framework does not give us enough levers for regulating the advertising efforts of the operators as they appear today. ANJ has made proposals for reducing the pressure of advertising volume messages such as whistle-to-whistle ban, ban or, at least, further regulate sports sponsoring, including a ban of sports competitions or facilities. 

What do you think was the most disruptive trend of 2025?

New forms of gambling are emerging based on blockchain shaking up the traditional boundaries of the gambling sector and attracting young people in particular because of the use of mechanics very similar to those of video games or sports betting. Following a formal request from the ANJ, the predictive sites Polymarket has implemented a geoblocking system for players located in France. 

The experimentation of ‘games with monetizable digital objects’ (JONUM), is expected to begin at the start of 2026, following the publication of the various decrees relating to the framework for these offers. This is a major challenge for ANJ which is entrusted with this new regulation, since a subtle balance needs to be struck between protecting players, maintaining the distinction between this market and the gambling market and supporting innovation. 

What were your main priorities when you were chair of GREF from June 2023 to 2025?

My focus was on strengthening the depth and quality of cooperation between European regulators. Over the past few years, I believe we’ve made real progress in fostering more open, frequent and practical exchanges on issues that affect us all, particularly around illegal market enforcement.

For example, our Enforcement Working Group provides a forum for regulators to discuss, in real time and share practical solutions. About three years ago, GREF issued a declaration on illegal operators, in which Members committed to working together against illegal gambling, to ensure the effective implementation of national regulations.

We have also expanded international cooperation, recognizing that illegal online platforms often operate beyond European borders. Our partnership with the North America Gaming Regulators Association (NAGRA) has been particularly effective, strengthening links between gambling regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. By working closely together, we have successfully engaged hosting providers to restrict access to illegal content wherever feasible.

Despite these achievements, challenges remain. Effective enforcement increasingly requires dialogue not just with regulators, but directly with industry players. While most European regulators are now in dialogue with internet service providers and plateform, I believe we could extend this cooperation to international software providers

Finally, AI presents a promising avenue. In theory, algorithms could detect websites operating illegally in a given jurisdiction by applying national regulatory criteria. However, the technology is still developing, and human oversight remains essential.

Looking ahead to 2026, what are ANJ’s priorities and challenges? 

Our priority is of course to carry on with the repositioning of the operators towards a less intensive model. The implementation of the JONUM (Web3 games) regulation is, for ANJ, uncharted territory that will test its agility as a regulator.

“Our priority is of course to carry on with the repositioning of the operators towards a less intensive model.”

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, Chairwoman of ANJ.

A cultural challenge is absolutely needed to reposition gambling as a derogatory product instead of a mass market issue. We are committed to fighting the idea that gambling is an ordinary leisure product, because the risks are not ordinary or harmless.