L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), a gambling regulator from France, works hard to prevent illegal gambling in the country. The regulator recently warned all players about the fraud that is occurring in the industry: various illegal gambling operators use the brands of popular licensed operators to advertise their services on social media platforms, especially Facebook.

Risks for players

That way, even those looking to gamble legally can be tricked into placing illegal bets. Now, the regulator has joined forces with Meta to monitor and resolve the issue.

So far, ANJ has found about 400 illegal websites, which resulted in 137 user accounts on Facebook being blocked. The main operators that were used for illegal operations were Barrière and JOA groups. The profiles of these operators have been created and their brand image was used to attract potential customers to the illegal website. They also created mobile apps that players were led to from Facebook images.

Online casinos aren’t legalized in France. However, some operators are allowed to offer online sports betting and horse racing betting services to French players. Also, land-based casinos that have appropriate licenses are also legal.

According to ANJ, players are at huge risk due to betting on illegal sites. They risk not being paid when they win, as well as various payment frauds and the risk of stealing personal data.

The regulator commented: “If in doubt about the legality of the gambling site on which you are about to bet, consult the list of sites approved by the ANJ. You can also consult the blacklist of sites that have been administratively blocked by the ANJ. We invite anyone who notices the presence of fake advertisements to report them.”

Worth of illegal betting market

In December 2023, ANJ said that the illegal betting market in France was worth up to €1.50 billion (£1.28bn/$1.62bn), which is more than 10% higher than the wagered amount in the country on a yearly basis.

According to research conducted by ANJ, 510 illegal websites are active. About 60% of all traffic comes from 21 of them.

PwC published a study with concerning data: the gross gaming revenue illegal casinos earned is somewhere between €748m and €1.5bn, which is between 5% and 10% of total gambling in France. The record was set in 2022 when it was €12.9 billion.

Source:

“French regulator issues warning over illegal online casinos on Facebook”, igamingbusiness.com, January 31, 2023.

The post L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux Warns About Illegal Gambling Ads on Facebook in France appeared first on Keno Wizard.

French blockchain enthusiasts have a reason to rejoice as the Sorare law was passed with an overwhelming support. Under the new law, which would provide the foundation for a regulatory framework for games using NFT and crypto features, such titles will not be classified as gambling.

Backed by 437 voters and opposed by 77, the so-called Jonum (games with monetizable digital objects) regime is set to seek balance between innovation and player protection.

The Sorare law still needs approval from the Constitutional Council but is an important step toward the legitimization of NFT and crypto games. The council will now review the voted measure and decide its future. The council has the power to reject the Sorare law, which would be a suboptimal outcome for the future of blockchain technology in France.

If the law is passed, however, the Jonum regime could be the development that companies tapping into blockchain technology desire. In any case, the regime would likely still need tweaks and amendments, considering the novelty of the crypto gaming vertical.

France Seeks to Regulate Crypto Games

Because of their inherent similarities, crypto games risked being classified as gambling, which is subject to higher taxes.

While crypto games will not be considered gambling, their compliance will still be overseen by France’s watchdog, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ). Like in gambling, the ANJ will require crypto gamers to provide their age and prove their identity when withdrawing funds. However, they will not need to verify their identity when registering an account. Web3 games will also be subjected to a number of other regulations they would be required to follow.

Experts have suggested that the Sorare law would give preferential treatment to crypto games, which is why existing operators might be inclined to explore the opportunities the blockchain sector offers. Pari Mutuel Urbain, for example, already offers a crypto-based fantasy racing game called Stables and is likely to further dabble in Web3 technology.

While some companies are sure to adapt, casino groups have slammed the new law, accusing the government of not inviting them to participate the discussion. Under French law, only casino companies with a physical presence can offer online gambling. Many of these companies believe that the regulation of Jonum is a bad move that would usher in an age of illegal gambling.

Some even fear that some online casinos may use NFT payouts to circumvent France’s gambling rules.

The post France Passes Sorare Law, Awaits Approval from the Constitutional Council appeared first on Keno Wizard.

France’s national gambling authority, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), published its 2022 market report, showing disparities across the different verticals.

Brick-and-Mortar Gambling on the Rise

Gross gaming revenue for the year reached a record €12.9 billion ($13.9 billion), posting an increase of 20% compared to 2021, spearheaded by operators holding exclusive rights (La Française des Jeux (FDJ) and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU)) and casinos which contributed €8.2 billion ($8.8 billion), or 64%.

The reopening of almost all retail points of sale since June led to normalizing the business environment for the operators and resulted in an 8% growth in the segment. Within the segment, lottery registered GGR of €5.6 billion ($6 billion), or an increase of 10.2%, with its digital channel accounting for 8.7% growth to reach 12% of total stakes.

Betting on horse racing finally began to recover from the negative impact in the previous two years, posting a nearly 10% increase year-over-year mainly due to the return of punters to the race tracks in the first half of the year.

Casinos posted GGR of €2.5 billion ($2.69 billion) in 2022, registering an increase of 130% year-over-year, supported by the reopening of casinos that were for two years operating under restrictions and with reduced capacity. Casinos marginally surpassed the pre-pandemic 2019 GGR of €2.4 billion ($2.58 billion).

Online Gambling Keeping Gains

The online gambling segment of the market registered GGR of €2.18 billion ($2.34 billion), posting a marginal increase year-over-year, and showing signs of peaking after strong years of growth between 2017 and 2021. The largest share of the segment was for sports betting with 64%, followed by betting on horse racing with 16%, and online poker with 20%.

The record €8.3 billion ($8.9 billion) in stakes helped the segment generate online sports betting GGR of €1.38 billion ($1.48 billion), up 2.5% compared to 2021. Active player accounts marginally increased to 4.5 million, while the average GGR per account was €312 ($335), up 3% year-over-year, and the average number of bets increased 6.6% year-over-year to 162.

Among sports, football is the top preferred by bettors attracting 56% of the stakes, followed by tennis with 22% and basketball with 12%. These three sports account for 90% of the entire market.

The return of physical betting on horse racing impacted the online vertical and online stakes on horse racing registered a decrease of 9% to €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) year-over-year, while GGR was down 8% to €346 million ($372 million).

Online poker registered a growth of 3% compared to 2021, with GGR reaching €442 million ($475.1 million) and the number of active player accounts grew by 7% to 1.76 million (1.65 million in 2021).

The post ANJ: 2022 Gambling Market in France Reached Record €12.9B appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Online gambling activities, unlike retail gambling, can be accessed via smartphones or even desktop computers easily. Many iGaming operators offer games that are mobile-first, which reaffirms the potential of the sector which is valued at billions of dollars on a monthly basis. Yet, while many countries around Europe offer iGaming options, the market in France remains significantly restricted. However, a new proposal seeks to change that and introduce legal online gambling options but under strict conditions.

Philippe Latombe, representative of the Democratic party in the country introduced Bill 1248 earlier this week. His proposal calls for the authorization of online casino gambling. However, it sets strict rules for the market, allowing it to grow under specific conditions.

“The ban in force against online casinos is therefore reaching its limits, even if the authorities try to identify and block illegal sites using court orders,“

Explains Bill 1248

The iGaming Market Is Expected to Change in 2030

The bill consists of three articles. Article 3 proposes “online casino games to the same levies operated by the State and local authorities, and therefore completes the list of games that make up the gross gaming revenue,” while Article 2 calls for the introduction of a moratorium that lasts for five years and allows only established casino operators with a license to operate online. Finally, Article 1 of the bill seeks operators that offer online gambling activities to introduce games of chance that are similar to their retail counterparts.

In other words, the proposal calls for the liberalization of the online gambling market which will be initially run by the “national casino industry” under the five-year moratorium. Then, effective from January 1, 2030, the proposal calls to open the market for other companies that are interested in the online gambling market in the country.

The bill explains that this is mandatory as a “total and immediate” opening of the market may result in losses for the national casino industry. This, in turn, may also result in unemployment and devastating consequences for the casino sector.

The post Proposal in France Calls for Online Gambling Expansion appeared first on Keno Wizard.

On Friday, March 24^th, 2023 Kylian Mbappe delivered for France again, this time wearing the captain’s armband for the French national club. Mbappe is leading a new era for Les Bleus, there was something very familiar concerning the manner in which Mbappe nailed 2 – goals for France in order to headline France’s 4 to 0 victory against the Netherlands in a qualifying match for the European Championship.

France’s Loss to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup Final Match

France demonstrated no overwhelming effects from their devastating penalty – kick shootout defeat to Argentina during the 2022 World Cup championship match just 3 – months ago. Mbappe managed to net a hat trick in France’s losing effort that day in the World Cup Final versus Argentina.

France vs. the Netherlands

One of Kylian’s first impactful plays vs. the Dutch last Friday was a nice slip pass inside for Antoine Griezmann (with his hair dyed pink) in order to finish on a goal score for the initial strike inside the first 2 – minutes of the game played at the legendary and historic Stade de France.

The two French stars embraced after the goal, pointing out that there was no lingering feud between the two, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe. The more experienced of the pair in Griezmann was passed over by France for the captain’s armband in favor of Mbappé who took over that role after following Hugo Lloris retired from playing professional football for the French national team.

Dayot Upamecano slotted in the 2^nd – goal for France during the 8^th – minute of match play last Friday, and the 3^rd – French goal was recorded on an amazing opening 20 – minute performance by France as Mbappé scored a beautiful goal for his squad. Kylian ran in back of the Netherlands defensive unit, and he directed a shot inside the near post following Randal Kolo Muani letting a nice pass from Aurélien Tchouaméni roll past him meeting the golden boot of Mbappe.

Mbappé finalized the dominating 4 to nil win for France during the 88^th – minute of the match with a solo assisted goal score. He picked up the ball approximately 40 – meters out from the Netherland’s goal and while constructing a series of feints on the outside edge of the area prior to smashing in a low shot beating the Netherland’s goalkeeper, Jasper Cillessen.

That goal for the superstar striker of Paris Saint – Germain pushed Mbappe’s goal count for the French national team to 38 – international goals, placing him in front of Karim Benzema and landing into fifth place on France’s all – time goal list. While Benzema’s time might be up for the French national team, the now 24 – year – old Mbappé is now the leader of the new wave of international famous superstar footballers following in the footsteps of both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking of starts, this was an extremely devastating way for Netherlands head coach, Ronald Koeman, to start his 2^nd– stint in charge of the Dutch national club. Playing without the Netherlands most influential midfielder in Frenkie de Jong due to injury as well as 5 – other players during the past week due to a circulating flu virus, the Netherlands were dominated by Kylian Mbappe and France throughout this one – sided Group B match as qualifying for 2024 European Championship continued on.

Their misery could be summed up when the Netherland’s Memphis Depay had a penalty – kick saved by France’s goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, on basically the last kick of the game.

Media Statements

“It was a complete performance,” explained by Kolo Muani, who started up front for France as opposed to Olivier Giroud. “We made a very good start, that’s what we’d wanted to do, and afterward we were able to control the match.”

Kylian Mbappe’s Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards

Monaco

• Ligue 1: 2016 – 2017
• Coupe de la Ligue Runner – Up: 2016 – 2017

Paris Saint – Germain

• Ligue 1: 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020, 2021 – 2022
• Coupe de France: 2017 – 2018, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021; Runner – Up: 2018 – 2019
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2017 – 2018, 2019 – 2020
• Trophée des Champions: 2019, 2020
• UEFA Champions League Runner – Up: 2019 – 2020

France U – 19

• UEFA European Under – 19 Championship: 2016

France

• FIFA World Cup: 2018, Runner – Up: 2022
• UEFA Nations League: 2020 – 2021

Individual

• UEFA European Under – 19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
• UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2018 – 2019, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
• UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019
• UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
• UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: April 2017, March 2018, August 2018, February 2019, February 2021, August 2021, February 2022, November / December 2022
• UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2016 – 2017, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021
• UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2021 – 2022
• FIFA FIFPro World11: 2018, 2019
• Golden Boy: 2017
• FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 2022
• FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 2022
• FIFA World Cup Young Player Award: 2018
• FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2018
• Kopa Trophy: 2018
• IFFHS Men’s World Team: 2018, 2021, 2022
• IFFHS World’s Best Top Goal Scorer: 2022
• French Player of the Year: 2018, 2019
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2018
• Ligue 1 Top Goal Scorer: 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
• Ligue 1 Top assist provider: 2021 – 2022
• Globe Soccer Best Player of the Year: 2021
• Onze de Bronze: 2019
• UEFA Nations League Finals Golden Boot: 2021

Orders

• Knight of the Legion of Honor: 2018

Lionel Messi’s Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards

Barcelona

• La Liga (10): 2004 – 2005, 2005 – 2006, 2008 – 2009, 2009 – 2010, 2010 – 2011, 2012 – 2013, 2014 – 2015, 2015 – 2016, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019
• Copa del Rey (7): 2008 – 2009, 2011 – 2012, 2014 – 2015, 2015 – 2016, 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2020 – 2021
• Supercopa de España (8): 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
• UEFA Champions League: 2005 – 2006, 2008 – 2009, 2010 – 2011, 2014 – 2015
• UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015

Paris Saint – Germain

• Ligue 1: 2021 – 2022
• Trophée des Champions: 2022

Argentina U – 20

• FIFA World Youth Championship: 2005

Argentina U – 23

Argentina

• FIFA World Cup: 2022
• Copa América: 2021
• CONMEBOL – UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022

Individual

• Ballon d’Or / FIFA Ballon d’Or (7): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2009
• The Best FIFA Men’s Player: 2019
• European Golden Shoe (6): 2009 – 2010, 2011 – 2012, 2012 – 2013, 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 2014, 2022
• FIFA World Cup Silver Boot: 2022
• FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2009, 2011
• FIFA U – 20 World Cup Golden Ball: 2005
• FIFA U – 20 World Cup Golden Boot: 2005
• Copa América Best Player: 2015, 2021
• Copa América Top Goalscorer: 2021
• La Liga Best Player (6): 2008 – 2009, 2009 – 2010, 2010 – 2011, 2011 – 2012, 2012 – 2013, 2014 – 2015
• Pichichi Trophy (8): 2009 − 2010, 2011 – 2012, 2012 − 2013, 2016 – 2017, 2017 − 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021
• Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: 2020
• Argentine Footballer of the Year (14): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Sources:

Douglas, Steve. “Mbappé delivers for France as captain; Lukaku nets hat trick”. The Associated Press. Friday, March 24, 2023.

Football Reference News Services. “Kylian Mbappe”. Football Reference. Friday, March 24, 2023.

The post Kylian Mbappe dominates for France in Qualifying Matche appeared first on Keno Wizard.

France’s gambling regulator, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has issued blocking and delisting orders against online gambling sites and has created and published a public blacklist in the form of a downloadable CSV spreadsheet of illegal gambling sites while the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has ordered eight more sites to be blocked, including an advertiser as well as gambling operators.

The French blacklist can be found through a link on the government’s official announcement page (here). It includes well over 500 entries, most of which are redirects or mirrors of sites that were obviously targeting players in markets the operators were not welcome in with operators such as VegasPlus accounting for nearly 10% of the total through more than 45 unique URLs relying on various reiterations of the core name.

Obvious Attempted Circumventions

MaChance casino accounted for more than 50 iterations while Unique / WinUnique clocked nearly 50 entries.

The internal list shared with legal authorities, certain operators, and internet service providers in France has tracked 532 websites from over 150 operators since June of last year but has finally been made public, albeit in a non-user-friendly format. The list will be updated monthly according to the ANJ.

Several months before the then-nascent list was compiled, the regulator was given extraordinary powers to block or demand the blocking of gambling websites as well as the power to delist them through requests or demands delivered to search engines and other indexing databases.

Legal censorship in the name of the public good is a craft the French regulatory body is perfecting with each new development and the ANJ no longer has to wade through 4-6 months of red tape to get the job done. Now, they can simply request that ISPs (internet service providers) block the sites after a quick consultation with an administrative judge, and the marketing websites as well as any known iterations of the gambling domains can be blocked within 30-60 days.

Only about 18 online gambling websites are sanctioned by the government in France as well as internationally in French-administered jurisdictions while La Française des Jeux enjoys an exclusive monopoly on lotteries and related games throughout French law-administered governments worldwide.

Google addresses delisting thusly: “Google may temporarily or permanently remove sites from its index and search results if it believes it is obligated to do so by law; if the sites do not meet Google’s quality guidelines, or for other reasons.”

A ruling by the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court confirmed in 2011 that France’s monopoly on horse race betting was justified and legal as long as its purpose was to prevent harm to the public and was applied in a consistent manner. The case (a law allowing Pari Mutuel Urbain a monopoly on horse-race betting) set the stage for further breaks in anti-monopoly law interpretations and upset the assured competition among member states throughout Europe.

The ANJ stated on its website last Wednesday: “Indeed, when a French Internet user plays on an illegal site (for example, in France, all online casino sites are illegal, no casino license can be granted under the legal framework in force), it exposes you to multiple risks:

• Collection of personal data;
• Payment fraud;
• Installation of malicious computer programs on the computer or mobile phone without the knowledge of the player;
• Frequent non-payment of winnings;
• Absence of any measure to prevent excessive gambling and underage gambling;
• Total absence of legal recourse in the event of a dispute with the site.

There are no known empirical data that shows the French are any more vulnerable to those risks than players in any other jurisdiction. The government relies on code enforcement on the supply side and the statements above to dissuade French gamblers from straying from the French-approved sites. Online gamblers in France are not subject to criminal penalties.

Australia Continues Crackdown on Unlicensed Sites.

As is the case in France, gamblers in Australia are not subject to criminal penalties. However, operators that offer unlicensed services to citizens can be punished civilly and criminally if they find themselves within reach of the law. All publicly traded companies have left the market, yet private companies continue to serve the market as Australians are among the most passionate and prolific gamblers in the world.

Offering online gambling services in Australia is not actually illegal as long as an operator is licensed in a state or territory. However, none have developed a framework nor issued any licenses for casino gambling.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued new orders for another handful of gambling sites to be blocked by Australian ISPs from allowing residents to access the websites.

As has often been the case in the past, the order affects not only illegal operators but their promoters as well. The latest batch of names includes Casino Jax, Kosmonaut Casino, Mirax Casino, N1 Bet Casino, Rolling Slots, Slotozen, and Wild Fortune Casino as well as an affiliate website that was purportedly directly marketing to Australian players.

The regulatory body has blocked well over 700 gambling websites since the Gambling Act Amendment of 2001 was strengthened in 2017.

Source: French regulator publishes gambling website blacklist, iGaming Business, March 14, 2023

The post France and Australia ISP blocking more casino websites appeared first on Keno Wizard.