In France, online gambling operators have been warned that they must modify their 2026 marketing and player incentive strategies to meet compliance demands on advertising coverage and exposure.

The warning follows the assessment of 2026 Promotional Strategies by l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), which said that rising promotional investment required stricter oversight in order to “prevent any risk of excessive advertising exposure and the development of excessive gambling practices.”

The regulatory agency had anticipated increased promotional spending during the months of June and July, as national audiences engage with the FIFA World Cup 2026. 

Operators justified their expanded budgets by pointing to “a rich 2026 sports calendar, marked by two major sporting events (the Winter Olympic Games and, above all, the Football World Cup), and intensified competition in the online market.”

While acknowledging this context, the ANJ made clear that regulatory expectations would not be relaxed. It stated that it would maintain “stringent requirements” on licensed operators and confirmed that, “for the first time, it has required all operators not to exceed the total budget they have declared and to strictly limit any reallocation of spending within that budget.”

The regulator added that this obligation is enforceable, warning that “this requirement may, where appropriate, give rise to specific supervisory inspections.”

Lessons learned from summer 2021

As part of its founding mandate, the ANJ began its systematic review of advertising spend, campaigns and promotional strategies in 2021, when it introduced its reference framework for the prevention of excessive and pathological gambling and the protection of minors.

That year, France’s seventeen licensed sportsbooks were publicly rebuked following what the authority deemed excessive advertising during the UEFA Euro 2021 championships.

In contrast, the ANJ noted a moderation in operator behaviour during 2025. Promotional investment ultimately fell below initial forecasts by around 8%, a decline the authority said could be “partly explained by the introduction of the new 15% tax on marketing,” which entered into force in July 2025.

However, 2026’s review shows that this restraint is expected to reverse sharply in 2026. Operators are forecasting a 25% year-on-year increase in promotional spending, taking total investment to €785m, covering both marketing expenditure (€319m) and financial incentives (€466m).

Marketing investment alone is set to rise by 28%, accounting for 40% of the total promotional budget, with the ANJ noting that “the months of the Football World Cup (June and July) concentrate 21% of the annual budget.”

Despite a partial redeployment towards traditional channels due to the sporting calendar, digital media remain dominant, “concentrating 44% of expenditure.” 

The authority also observed “an increase in TV and radio sponsorship,” enabling operators to access traditional media at lower cost than conventional advertising slots.

Financial incentives continue to represent the largest share of promotional activity. The ANJ highlighted that bonuses and other gratifications are forecast to increase by 23%, representing 60% of the total budget, largely driven by retention strategies and cross-selling between sports betting, poker and other verticals.

Taking these risk factors into account, the ANJ approved operators’ strategies subject to conditions. In addition to enforcing the overall budget cap, the regulator required certain operators “to reduce their marketing budgets, or those allocated to social media, or to show moderation in the execution of sports partnerships.” One operator was also instructed “to significantly reduce its retention-related incentive spending”.

The authority further confirmed that, as part of its partnership with advertising watchdog ARPP, it will be “particularly vigilant regarding the content of new advertising creations in this Football World Cup year.”

Finally, in anticipation of the tournament, the ANJ reiterated proposals it has already submitted to the government to review including “the introduction of a whistle-to-whistle ban on television,” “stricter regulation of sponsorship,” and “reinforced protection for the most vulnerable players, notably loss limits for 18–25-year-olds.”

At present, ANJ remains the only gambling regulator in Europe to systematically review each licensee’s advertising and promotional expenditure on a yearly basis. 

A supervisory approach is being actively examined by the Netherlands, Spain and the Republic of Ireland, as part of their ongoing reviews of audience protection and safe gambling environments.