France Tightens AML Controls: ANJ Increases Pressure on Gambling Operators

The French regulatory body Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has issued a clear warning to all licensed gambling companies in the country. At its core, the message concerns strict adherence to guidelines for combating money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT). The authority is responding to identified deficiencies in the implementation of sanctions lists and the freezing of assets. Pressure on the industry is mounting, as the ANJ has announced it will massively intensify its inspections in this area. Operators must now prove they have sufficient human resources and technical systems to immediately identify and block suspicious actors.

Particular attention was drawn to a case from 2025, which now serves as a precedent. For the first time, a licensed operator was brought before the National Sanctions Commission (NSC). In this proceeding, serious failures were found in the internal reporting chain for suspicious transactions. The result was significant penalties, not just for the company itself, but also for the responsible executives on a personal level. This underlines the new course of the French oversight, which is placing a stronger focus on the individual responsibility of compliance officers.

Numbers and facts

At the center of the sanctions was an operator understood to be Betsson France, according to insider reports. The National Sanctions Commission imposed a fine of 20,000 Euros on the company. Additionally, a two-month operating prohibition was issued, though it remains suspended. Management was hit even harder: a former manager received a 20,000 Euro fine and a two-month suspended management ban. A senior compliance officer was ordered to pay 5,000 Euros. While these figures may seem low compared to British fines, the symbolic impact of personal liability is unprecedented for the French market.

The ANJ has also upgraded its technological capabilities. A new algorithm analyzes gambling behavior based on 23 financial and behavioral indicators. These include betting frequency, use of limits, and response to previous interventions. According to ANJ reports, approximately 38 percent of Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) comes from players with problematic behavior. To counteract this trend, the industry plans marketing expenditures of nearly 695 million Euros for 2025, a figure the authority is monitoring critically.

Background

Since June 2026, Pascal Chèvremont has served as the new President at the head of the ANJ. He succeeds Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin and has set the goal of making data-led monitoring the standard. Chèvremont inherits a mandate where the fight against financial crime and player protection are top priorities. While online sports betting is booming in France and the number of active accounts rose by 11 percent in 2024, online casino gaming remains illegal. However, there are ongoing political discussions about potentially legalizing this sector in a highly regulated framework by early 2026 to curb the black market.

"Operators must ensure that asset-freezing measures can be implemented without delay. We will intensify our AML inspections and expect a significant improvement in reports submitted to TRACFIN." - Pascal Chèvremont, President of the ANJ

The tightening in France does not stand in isolation. The UK Gambling Commission has taken similar steps in recent months, suspending the licenses of operators like Bet St George or BresBet due to AML failures. Even QuinnBet was slapped with a fine exceeding 600,000 British Pounds. This European tendency towards a zero-tolerance policy regarding money laundering is now putting French providers under pressure to optimize their control mechanisms for politically exposed persons (PEPs) and high-risk customers.

Why it matters for German players

For German players registered with providers licensed in Germany, the French measures do not change anything directly. However, the development shows that regulatory authorities in Europe are moving closer together. Anyone playing in Germany with a legal provider listed on the official whitelist of the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) already enjoys a protection standard that is similar to or exceeds the French model in many respects. The German State Treaty on Gambling 2021 (GlüStV 2021) already provides for strict AML checks.

In Germany, deposits are limited to 1,000 Euros per month through the LUGAS system, and the stake limit of 1 Euro per spin on virtual slots also serves prevention. Anyone attempting to play at illegal MGA or Curacao casinos not only risks a lack of player protection but also enters the focus of AML monitoring, as these providers often do not conduct sufficient checks. The consistent stance of the ANJ in France encourages the German GGL in its course of only admitting providers who guarantee transparency in financial flows.

What it means for GGL-licensed casinos

German casinos with a GGL license must closely monitor developments in neighboring countries. The introduction of algorithms to detect gambling addiction, as the ANJ is now using, could also become a model for the German market. German operators are already obliged to report suspicious patterns to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The Betsson case in France shows that authorities no longer hesitate to hold individual compliance officers accountable. This will lead to German licensees further tightening their internal audits and training to avoid any risk of license revocation.