Compliance Updates

ANJ, the new French gambling regulator is launched

Published

5 years ago

June 22, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

On Monday 22 June, the members of the ANJ met for the first time around the President, Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin. This first meeting of the ANJ Boardmarks the launch of the new regulator, which is now competent in all segments of the gambling market.

An extended regulatory scope

In 2019, France has amended its legal framework of gambling and its regulation. A new gambling regulatory authority (ANJ) has been set. It follows ARJEL with a significantly extended regulatory scope and enhanced powers.

The ANJ is now responsible for all components of the legal gambling market, both online and offline:

online games that ARJEL regulated, such as sports betting and horse racing betting and poker offered by the 14 licensed operators ;
all the games of La Française des Jeux or the PMU sold in physical points of sale or online;
228 racecourses;
202 casinos, with the exception of anti-money laundering issues and the integrity of the games offered, which remain under the responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

While ARJEL regulated 11% of the French gambling legal market, the ANJ now regulates 78%, which represents a market of more than 50 billion euros in bets

The foundations for a consolidated regulation are therefore laid to have an overall gambling policy in France under the control of the ANJ. It will be able to implement a complete “toolbox” including preventive, prescriptive and control activities, as well as sanction measures throughout the entire gambling industry.

The ANJ missions are structured around four objectives:

Prevent excessive or pathological gambling and protect minors;
Ensure the integrity, reliability and transparency of gaming;
Prevent fraudulent and criminal activities, as well as money laundering and financing of terrorism;
Ensure the balanced, fair development of various types of games, in order to avoid any economic destabilisation of the sectors concerned.

Enhanced powers

The ANJ has enhanced powers to fulfil its missions, such as the ability to require the withdrawal of a commercial communication involving an inducement to excessive gambling or the ability to carry out on-site controls.Regarding operators under exclusive rights, it authorizes their games offer and it annually approves their games program, their promotional strategy as well as their action plans in the fight against fraud and money laundering on the one hand, prevention of gambling addiction and the protection of minors on the other hand. The ANJ will exercise greater control over these operators in these different fields.

The methods of regulation

The ANJ will set up a regulation that combines support and control.

In the short term, the ANJ will use pedagogy to explain to economic actors the new rather complex legal framework. It has already planned to bring them together shortly to present their new obligations.
It is currently finalising two reference frameworks, one on the prevention of gambling addiction and the protection of minors and the other on the fight against fraud, money laundering and the financing of terrorism. These new compliance tools will be submitted for consultation with the stakeholders concerned in order to develop standards that are as close as possible to the sectoral realities and to secure their practices.
It will also ensure compliance with the obligations of the law, which implies a credible and appropriate control strategy, and even sanctions for the most serious breaches. In this respect, it will sign an agreement with the Race and Gaming Central Service of the Ministry of Home Affairs for on-site inspections in points of sale and casinos.

Protecting players: a priority for the ANJ

In France, one person out of two is a gambler. Problem gamblers are estimated around 1,2 million. So, preventing excessive or pathological gambling is a public health issue to which the ANJ attaches the utmost importance.

The ANJ will place the players at the heart of the regulation. For that to be real and effective, the ANJ will be as close as possible to the gambling experience and the uses of the players, by articulating its action around the three fronts: information, service and capitalization on the collective intelligence of the players.

The transfer of the management of the file of banned players from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the ANJ starting from September will be an opportunity to make players more responsible. Indeed, the ANJ will propose a new registration process and a real tool for self-protection and control of the game, faster and less guilt-ridden. Concretely, a motivational interview with the ANJ staff will be carried out with the players in order to direct them, if necessary, to health-care professionals.

For Isabelle FALQUE-PIERROTIN, Chairwoman of the ANJ: “The ANJ is not an enlarged ARJEL, it is a new project that requires rethinking regulation. It has to adapt its intervention to monopolies (FDJ and PMU) and to players gambling mostly anonymously in points of sale. I would like to set up a regulation that combines support and control in order to better serve and protect players”.

2025 Global Regulatory Awards

Vixio Announces Winners for the 2025 Global Regulatory Awards

Published

7 hours ago

November 20, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence solutions, unveiled its 2025 Global Regulatory Awards (GRAs) winners last night during an event in London.

More than 300 industry leaders, regulatory experts, and esteemed professionals of the global gambling industry attended the prestigious event. The independently judged GRAs recognise and celebrate the achievements of individuals, teams, and organisations in the gambling industry who have excelled in compliance, corporate social responsibility, and safer gambling.

The ninth annual awards ceremony recognised winners across 22 categories.
Notable winners on the evening included Playtech, Casino Guru, and Kambi.

Vixio also recognised outstanding individuals, such as Bill Curtis of DraftKings, named Compliance Professional of the Year, Corinne Valletta of Betsson Group, awarded Chief Compliance Officer of the Year, and Wes Himes, who was recognised with the Special Award for Compliance Lifetime Achievement.

“Thank you to everyone who joined us at last night’s Global Regulatory Awards in London,” stated Mike Woolfrey, CEO of Vixio. “This year has seen significant regulatory change across the industry, making the quality of entries even more impressive. Our independent judges did a fantastic job in selecting the winners, who truly represent the highest standards in regulatory compliance. Congratulations to all, and we look forward to welcoming you to the 10th annual Global Regulatory Awards next year!”

Awards were presented by category sponsors: Docaposte, DraftKings, eCOGRA, Gaming Associates and White Bullet.

The award evening was associate-sponsored by: Greentube, San Manuel Tribal Gaming Commission, Scientific Games, and Soft2Bet.

The 2026 Global Regulatory Awards presentation will celebrate the 10th annual GRA event and is set to take place on November 18th, returning to the historic Grand Connaught Rooms in Central London.

The official 2025 winners are as follows:

AML or MLR Professional of the Year
Eleni Panagiotopoulou, SOFTSWISS

Award for Commitment to Compliance by a Supplier
GeoComply

Award for Commitment to Compliance by an Operator
Tipico Games

Chief Compliance Officer of the Year
Corinne Valletta, Betsson Group

Compliance Innovator of the Year
Sharp Vision

Compliance Lifetime Achievement Special Award
Wes Himes

Compliance Professional of the Year
Bill Curtis, DraftKings

Compliance Rising Star Special Award
Medisha Moodley, Games Global

Compliance Team of the Year
Playtech

Head of Regulatory Affairs or Government Relations of the Year
Devon Dalbock, GLI

Legal Team of the Year
Kambi

Marketing Compliance Team of the Year
Catena Media

Outstanding Contribution to Safer Gambling
Casino Guru

Outstanding Contribution to Sports Betting Integrity
ALTENAR

Outstanding Individual Contribution to Safer Gambling
Dr. Michael Auer, Neccton

Payment Service or Solution Provider of the Year
Paysafe

RegTech Provider of the Year
Mindway AI

Regulatory Initiative of the Year
Gambling Regulatory Authority (URHH SK)

Regulatory Law Firm of the Year
Bird & Bird

Regulatory Lawyer or In-House Counsel of the Year
Behnam Dayanim, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Responsible Gambling Service or Solution Provider of the Year
BetBlocker

Testing Service or Solution Provider of the Year
BMM Innovation Group

The post Vixio Announces Winners for the 2025 Global Regulatory Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Betclic

Betclic Becomes the First French Operator to Earn RG Check Certification

Published

10 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Niji Narayan

betclic-becomes-the-first-french-operator-to-earn-rg-check-certification

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Betclic has become the first and only French operator to obtain the international RG Check certification, the world’s leading benchmark in player protection.

Betclic Group ranks among the top three global performers out of 170 operators assessed.

This certification recognises Betclic Group’s ongoing ambition to make online gaming a safe, responsible and transparent experience.

RG Check certification is an international audit that evaluates gambling operators’ commitment to responsible gaming. It covers more than 200 criteria, notably including prevention strategy, training, governance and responsible communication.

Recognised for its high level of requirements, RG Check currently assesses nearly 170 gambling operators around the world.

With a score of 89.44/100, Betclic Group achieved the third-best global performance and became the first French operator to receive the label.

Betclic stands out in several key areas:

96/100 for “Responsible Gaming Policy, Strategy, and Culture”, demonstrating a coherent approach fully integrated into the company’s strategy.

93/100 for “Employee Training”, highlighting continuous training for teams on best practices for player protection.

97/100 for “Marketing Communications”, ensuring ethical practices and the protection of vulnerable audiences.

90/100 for “Account and Payment Management”, confirming reliable and secure procedures.

Sarah McCarthy, CEO of the RG Council, said: “Betclic’s successful RG Check accreditation demonstrates their dedication to player protection and responsible gambling practices. This achievement shows what’s possible when operators prioritize evidence-based safeguards and commit to meeting rigorous standards. We’re proud to recognize their efforts in advancing safer gambling on betclic.fr and setting a strong example for the industry,”

Betclic Protect: A Pioneering and Differentiating Programme

The certification, valid for three years, rewards a collective commitment to making online gaming a safe and responsible experience, based on human support, technology and transparency.

This result stems from significant human and financial investments, embodied in “Betclic Protect”, a pioneering player-protection programme that includes:

• Raising awareness among all players through broad public campaigns.

• Providing moderation tools enabling players to stay in control.

• Detecting risky behaviours using a model combining 60 behavourial indicators.

• Supporting players in difficulty through personalised assistance.

More than 100 specialists at Betclic are dedicated exclusively to responsible gaming.

Betclic Group’s management also requires 100% of employees to be trained annually on responsible gaming specifics, demonstrating the company’s full commitment to this issue.

Nicolas Béraud, founder and CEO of Betclic Group, said: “Becoming the first French operator certified by RG Check is a collective source of pride. It crowns years of investment in player protection and confirms that responsibility and innovation can strengthen one another. This certification also highlights that our ‘Betclic Protect’ program is among the most robust in the world, enabling us to offer a safer gaming experience to our 5 million customers.”

This certification comes as Betclic launches its annual “Responsible Gaming Week” from 17 to 20 November 2025, during which employees across Betclic Group’s five offices (France, Poland, Portugal, Ivory Coast, Malta) will be trained on prevention and awareness topics through workshops and conferences.

The post Betclic Becomes the First French Operator to Earn RG Check Certification appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Asia

PRONET GAMING BECOMES FIRST B2B OPERATOR TO ESTABLISH SCBPO ACCREDITED OPERATION IN THE PHILIPPINES VIA CLAYMORE SOLUTIONS

Published

1 day ago

November 19, 2025

George Miller

pronet-gaming-becomes-first-b2b-operator-to-establish-scbpo-accredited-operation-in-the-philippines-via-claymore-solutions

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Omni-channel turnkey provider Pronet Gaming is the first internationally-licensed B2B company in the gaming sector to establish an SCBPO-accredited operation in the Philippines via Claymore Solutions.

Claymore Solutions is accredited by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) as a Special Class BPO (SCPBO), which authorises them to provide employer of record & serviced office space to internationally licenced gaming operators enabling them to establish operations in the Philippines without taking bets or payments.

Pronet Gaming will now build out IT and Trading teams in Manila, further strengthening its operational presence and technical capabilities in the region.

Pronet Gaming CEO Alex Leese said: “Establishing an SCBPO-accredited presence in the Philippines is a milestone that aligns perfectly with our long-term strategy of expanding our footprint in Asia, in a fully compliant way. We’re happy to have made this possible through the collaboration and support of our trusted partner, Claymore Solutions.”

Paul Fox, Chairman and Co-Founder of Claymore Solutions, said: “We’re honoured to be working with Pronet Gaming, providing EoR and serviced office space solutions for their operations which underlines the quality of local staff and further boosts the Filipino economy.”

PAGCOR Chairman Al Tengco commented: “We’re delighted to have B2B operators such as Pronet Gaming establish their Trading and IT operations here through Claymore Solutions. I hope that more companies follow given the wealth of readily available Filipino talent in this sector.”

Claymore will announce additional client partnerships in the near future.

The post PRONET GAMING BECOMES FIRST B2B OPERATOR TO ESTABLISH SCBPO ACCREDITED OPERATION IN THE PHILIPPINES VIA CLAYMORE SOLUTIONS appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.