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Read Full BioFrance’s national gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), announced last week that it had issued a €75,000 fine to one of its licensed online gaming operators.
In a statement released by the ANJ, the regulator announced that it had fined an operator for consistently failing to comply with the mandatory data archiving and transmission policies.
The repeated failures were deemed a breach of the operator’s licensing agreement.
Having outlined a broader 2024-2026 strategic plan for the French gambling market last year, the ANJ stated that it had detected multiple infringements by the operator in question over a 25-month period between 2022 and 2024.
French laws require licensed gambling firms to archive all player accounts and gaming data in real-time, while ensuring this information is always available to the ANJ.
As a result, the regulator can effectively oversee the nation’s online gambling sector, not only to detect irregularities, but also to enforce its responsible gambling legislation.
Significant Gaps in Operator’s Data Directly Breached Its License Agreement
The ANJ has determined that the unnamed operator committed two serious breaches of its data code of conduct during this period.
Firstly, the firm failed to transmit key data on player bets, effectively excluding several million euros’ worth of transactions from the mandatory hardware-based archiving system.
The second infringement occurred as a result of the operator submitting more than 900,000 defective or inaccurate data records to the ANJ.
Both discrepancies violated Articles 31 and 38 of the law of May 12, 2010, and Articles 29 and 30 of the decree of May 19, 2010, impeding the regulator’s capacity for oversight and enforcement.
In a statement, the ANJ specified that these failures impaired its ability to monitor key data criteria, including the operator’s visibility into its player return rates (RTP), problematic gambling, and the overall fairness of its gaming operations.
In addition to these initial violations, the regulator also stated that the failure to provide large sections of its data had directly impacted its efforts to uphold its AML and counter-terrorist policy.
A Warning Shot to All Gaming Firms Operating in France
The news comes in the same week the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced a new seven-step fining framework for UK gaming operators who fall foul of their data compliance measures.
However, the ANJ’s latest enforcement measures aim to send a clear message to all French-based gaming operators that data compliance is a non-negotiable term of agreement.
It states that operators must comply and actively contribute to the ANJ’s public policy objectives, which include protecting consumers as well as tackling problem gambling.
The fine also reflects the ANJ’s growing demand for digital accountability as the French gambling sector continues to grow.
