France’s gambling regulator, Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has released its strategic plan for 2024-2026, focusing on a significant reduction in excessive gambling and the associated social damage. Three years after its establishment, ANJ has fully stepped into its role, closely monitoring the market to ensure licensed operators remain compliant.

The French Market Faces Rising Challenges

The first regulation phase under ANJ’s authority concluded in 2023, revealing a thriving gambling market with over €13 billion ($14.1 billion) in turnover, reflecting a growth of over 50% since the market opened in 2011. While gambling has become a widespread consumer product for people of all ages and backgrounds, it also poses risks necessitating the implementation of restrictive regulatory policies.

Despite notable progress by gaming operators in player protection, the prevalence of problem gambling remains significant. The ANJ acknowledges that in 2019, around 1.4 million players were at risk, with nearly 400,000 classified as pathological gamblers. Problem gambling constitutes more than 38% of the sector’s turnover, with 21% attributed to excessive gamblers alone.

The country struggles with black market operators leveraging the lack of regulated iGaming to exploit unwary players. The ANJ estimated that the illegal online gambling sector in France was between 5% and 11%, vowing to take action against this rising threat. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has on France to regulate iGaming, noting this was the only way to solve this problem.

ANJ Has Ambitious Goals for the Coming Years

The new strategic plan from ANJ revolves around three key pillars:

1. Drastically Reducing Excessive Gambling: ANJ aims to significantly reduce the share and number of excessive gamblers within the gambling market. This objective requires coordinated efforts from operators and a balanced regulatory policy to strengthen the French model of the gambling market.
2. Fighting Against Illegal Gambling: The second pillar focuses on preserving the transparency and integrity of the sector, primarily through the fight against illegal gambling.
3. Strengthening Economic Dimension of Regulation: The third pillar emphasizes strengthening the economic dimension of regulation to understand market dynamics and provide solutions to current challenges.

The strategic plan’s success relies on sufficient scientific knowledge of the market and gaming practices to guide regulations. Dialogue and cooperation with other stakeholders and regulatory bodies are also necessary, enabling effective, exemplary public action. ANJ president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin noted that the collaboration remained vital for achieving the regulator’s 2026 goals.

“Reducing the number of excessive gamblers and strengthening the protection of minors… can only be achieved if all stakeholders join forces alongside the regulator.”

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, ANJ president

The ANJ’s strategic plan represents a critical juncture for the French gambling market, aiming to strike a balance between openness and protection while addressing the social challenges associated with excessive gambling. The country remains beset by many gambling-related challenges, but the regulator’s confident approach raises high hopes for the coming years.

The post French Regulator Unveils New Gambling Harm Prevention Strategy appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has handed sanctions to a French athlete and a Bulgarian tennis official. Both offenders have been suspended for long periods of time because of previous offenses.

According to the ITIA, the French tennis pro Leny Mitjana has been handed a ten-year suspension because of 11 violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). In addition to that, the player was handed a $20,000 fine.

According to the tennis regulatory body, Mitjana, who has a career-high world singles ranking of 458, was involved in match-fixing efforts. While the athlete denied the charges, Philippe Cavalieros, an independent anti-corruption hearing officer (AHO) found him liable for multiple TACP breaches.

The AHO said that Mitjana is guilty of facilitating wagering, contriving the outcome of matches, influencing other players not to use their best efforts in matches and failing to report corrupt approaches.

The suspension will run from December 22, 2023, to December 21, 2033. During that period, Mitjana will be prohibited from playing in, coaching at or attending any tennis event sanctioned by the ITIA or any national association.

Stefan Milanov Was Suspended for Sixteen Years

A few days later, the ITIA also announced the suspension of Stefan Milanov, a Bulgarian tennis official who also violated the TACP. AHO Amani Khalifa investigated the matter and found Milanov guilty of committing a whopping 17 TACP violations.

For reference, the breaches relate to five matches Milanov umpired in 2021. These included five breaches related to direct or indirect wagering facilitations, five counts of scoring data delay or manipulation, five violations relating to direct or indirect attempts to conspire to commit a corruption offense and two failures to cooperate with the ITIA investigation.

A national-level official, Milanov failed to respond to the allegations, which the ITIA considers to constitute an admission of liability. He was therefore suspended for 16 years and slapped with a $75,000 fine.

As a result, Milanov will now be unable to officiate at or attend any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by members of the ITIA or any national association. The official sanction will run from December 28, 2023, to December 27, 2039.

Previously, the ITIA handed a 10-year suspension to the Slovenian tennis umpire Marko Ducman who also violated the TACP.

The post ITIA Suspends a French Athlete and a Bulgarian Official appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), a body seeking to protect tennis from fraud and match manipulation, has confirmed that it has handed a provisional suspension to the French tennis player Maxence Broville. According to the announcement, the ITIA will consider the player’s recent Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) charges.

The ITIA dated the suspension to June 20, 2023, temporarily prohibiting the athlete from competing in or attending any tennis event sanctioned by tennis governing bodies.

Providing more details about the suspension, the ITIA noted that Maxence Broville has failed to comply with a demand from the agency. In addition, the ITIA pointed out that Broville may have committed a major offense of the TACP.

As outlined in the TACP:

There is a likelihood that the Covered Person has committed a Major Offense and in the absence of a Provisional Suspension, the integrity of tennis would be undermined and the harm resulting from the absence of a Provisional Suspension outweighs the Hardship of the Provisional Suspension on the Covered Person.

TACP Section F.3.b.i.4

The ITIA added that Broville has tried to appeal against the imposition of the provisional suspension. However, an unidentified anti-corruption hearing officer rejected the appeal on September 5, 2023, the ITIA noted.

The ITIA Continues to Protect the Tennis Sector from Fraud

The ITIA is an independent body that seeks to protect the integrity of the tennis sector. A month ago, it imposed another sanction on another French player, namely Alexis Musialek. Musialek was banned for life because of serious and repeated violations of the TACP.

According to the ITIA, “the 35-year-old was found to have – among other offenses – contrived the outcome of multiple matches, received money, benefit or consideration for contriving the outcome of these matches.”

In early August, the ITIA banned 3 other players over similar breaches, namely Timur Khabibulin, Sanjar Fayziev and Igor Smilansky. The three conspired together and manipulated matches, committing varying TACP offenses.

A few days earlier, the watchdog also had to suspend Percy Flores, a tennis white badge umpire from Bolivia, who will be unable to participate in sanctioned games for 12 years.

The post ITIA Hands Provisional Suspension to French Player Maxence Broville appeared first on Keno Wizard.

In a recent press interview, Eric Sjöden, senior advisor for international affairs at l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), France’s gambling regulator, underlined that the authorities must develop a closer relationship with operators in the market for the benefit of the players.

The Excessive Advertising Issue

The gambling market in France was in turmoil following one of the biggest competitions in European football, the 2020 UEFA European Championship which was eventually held in 2021 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. That competition saw most operators in France engage in a frenzy of advertising, which prompted ANJ to crack down on gambling marketing.

In 2022 ANJ made significant moves towards reducing the number of gambling ads, justifying those measures by saying that they should protect young people and vulnerable groups.

However, the measures were not imposed by the authorities on the market. ANJ launched a public debate, asking both the public and the operators to have their say before eventually deciding the next steps.

Eric Sjöden explains that this is the way ANJ wants to deal with the French gambling market, engaging in constant dialogue both with the operators and the general public. “We speak with them about problem gambling, regarding AML, so it’s normal for us to speak with them in regards to advertising and advising,” Eric Sjöden added.

Constant Communication

The dialogue is kept alive as each year ANJ requires all licensed operators to submit action plans regarding fraud, money laundering, safe gambling, and terrorism financing. This allows for ongoing dialogue between the regulator and operators because after the latter submits the action plans the ANJ replies with recommendations.

However, some of these action plans receive plain rejections from ANJ if they are not good enough. Earlier this year the French regulator dismissed six such plans, belonging to casinos and gaming clubs.

“This is our idea of regulation,” Eric Sjöden explained. The ANJ advisor added that the French regulator dishes out fewer sanctions than regulators in other European countries and that is because operators on the French market have a better understanding of the regulation framework.

Sjöden also revealed that ANJ is currently working on two new tools for the French gambling market, a guide on tracking gambling harm and an instrument under the regulator’s control which would allow to set up loss limits.

The French authorities are also preparing to legalize online casinos through Bill 1248, which was introduced in May 2023 by Philippe Latombe, a representative of the Democratic Movement party. The bill’s purpose is to take players to legal online casinos instead of offshore operators that don’t have responsible gambling measures in place.

Source: “France focus: Is the market a success yet?“. iGaming Business. September 5, 2023.

The post French Gambling Market Prepares to Legalize Online Casinos appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The globally-recognized tennis integrity body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), confirmed Thursday it imposed a tough sanction against a player that was found to have breached the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). Judging by a statement released by the Agency, Alexis Musialek, a French professional tennis player, was banned from the sport for life after breaches related to match-fixing.

The professional tennis player who had the highest ATP singles ranking of 255 in 2015 initially denied all charges against him. However, an investigation led by Raj Parker, an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO), uncovered that Musialek was involved in match-fixing of nine matches between 2016 and 2018. Additionally, it was determined that the French player failed to cooperate with ITIA’s probe and withheld evidence.

Overall, according to ITIA, Musialek was involved in a total of 39 breaches of the TACP rules. According to the Agency: “The 35-year-old was found to have – among other offenses – contrived the outcome of multiple matches, received money, benefit or consideration for contriving the outcome of these matches.” The integrity watchdog also said that Musialek engaged with other players, encouraging them “not to use their best efforts.”

In light of the uncovered breaches, the French tennis player received a lifetime ban from the sport. Additionally, a hefty $50,000 fine was imposed against him. Although it was announced this week, the sanction was in effect as of August 5, 2023, the ITIA confirmed.

The lifetime ban means that Musialek won’t be permitted to play or coach at any event sanctioned or authorized by the governing bodies of tennis permanently. He is also prohibited from attending such events as well.

The Tennis Integrity Watchdog Remains Vigilant

As the independent body, safeguarding the integrity of tennis, ITIA has the authority to implement sanctions which may include fines, temporary or even permanent bans. Earlier this month, the Agency confirmed it imposed provisional suspensions against three players over TACP breaches. At the time, the ITIA alleged that Timur Khabibulin, Sanjar Fayziev and Igor Smilansky were involved in multiple breaches related to match-fixing.

Before that, back in July, the Agency hit the Bolivian tennis umpire, Percy Flores, with a temporary ban from the sport for a duration of 12 years. The tough sanction came after the regulatory watchdog uncovered a whopping 31 breaches of the TACP rules between November 2021 and October 2022.

Again, in July, the ITIA confirmed the launch of a new mandatory integrity education for junior players in collaboration with the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Ultimately, that training seeks to educate and raise awareness about the importance of the sport’s integrity.

The post ITIA Bans French Tennis Pro Alexis Musialek for Life appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The French National Assembly’s Economics Committee agreed to a new amendment curtailing influencers from advertising dangerous products. The proposed legislation received strong support and has a good chance of making it through the Assembly and Senate. If the amendment is passed into law, it will severely impact influencers promoting crypto assets.

Crypto Assets Will Be Equated to Gambling

Unregulated promotions of potentially harmful products like crypto assets have become a matter of contention among many European nations. France now plans to join countries like the UK and Belgium as it tightens down on crypto promotions. The movement received support from both sides of the political spectrum as a new amendment received the approval of a legislative committee this Wednesday.

Amendment n°CE48 aims to combat scams and restrict the advertising of pharmaceutical products, gambling, and crypto asset promotions on social media. The text treats digital assets identically to other speculative financial products. Lawmakers seek to limit the proliferation of advertisements posing risks to consumers, such as investments in various digital assets.

The text explicitly bans individuals from using social media to promote crypto assets not licensed by financial regulators. Currently, these are exactly zero. While changing regulations may open ways to circumvent the restrictions, the amendment would effectively ban French influencers from endorsing digital assets. With penalties of up to two years in prison and a €30,000 ($32,000) fine, few would risk the regulator’s ire.

Upcoming Regulatory Changes May Ease Restrictions

French lawmakers appear intent on dealing with the proliferation of scams on social networks and protecting consumers from risks. The proposed legislation coincides with a new wave of crypto promotion controversy as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged eight celebrities with illegal advertisements on social media.

Despite turbulent French politics, the amendment enjoys support from the ruling party and the opposition. Socialist Arthur Delaporte noted that the crypto industry had remained under the radar for most politicians and urged reforms. Strong support from lawmakers means that the proposed legislation has every chance to soon pass into law.

Not all is doom and gloom for crypto influencers, though. France plans to overhaul its crypto firm registration requirements, adhering to the EU’s upcoming Markets in Crypto-Assets regulations. Under the new guidelines, European companies can extend their services through the bloc, once again opening the doors for crypto ads.

The post French Lawmakers Seek to Block Crypto Promotions appeared first on Keno Wizard.