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Promotional strategies of gambling operators: what points of vigilance has the ANJ identified?

Published

5 years ago

January 26, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Meeting in plenary session on January 21, the members of the National Gaming Authority (ANJ) examined the 2021 promotional strategies of gambling operators, both in competition and monopoly, with particular regard to the objectives of prevention of excessive or pathological gambling and protection of minors. In view of the points of vigilance that were identified during this review, such as increased advertising pressure and the targeting of young audiences, the approval of these strategies is in most cases subject to conditions in their implementation.

Reminder of the legal framework

Since the reform of gambling regulation in 2020, all operators must submit their promotional strategies to the National Gaming Authority for approval each year. The latter examines it in the light of the objectives of the State’s policy on gambling and chance, and more specifically, the prevention of excessive or pathological gambling and the protection of minors.

This first exercise of approval of promotional strategies should allow the ANJ to progressively build its analytical grid to maintain a recreational game and for operators to become familiar with these new provisions. It is also on the basis of this analysis grid that the ANJ will be able, if necessary, to mobilize its power to withdraw from a particular advertising campaign that encourages gambling by minors or that contains excessive encouragement to gamble.

The ANJ’s analytical grid takes into account the balance to be struck between the legitimate use of advertising by operators to promote the legal offer and differentiate themselves in a highly regulated market, and its necessary channelling to counter the risk of problem gambling and protect minors. It will be regularly updated in the light of the observations or developments observed by the ANJ and the work carried out with the CSA and the ARPP, in the framework of the implementation of an observatory on gambling advertising.

It is in line with the reference framework for the prevention of excessive and pathological gambling and the protection of minors published in December 2020, which proposes an operational manual for operators in the implementation of their new obligations.

Points of vigilance common to operators for the 2021 strategies

The ANJ conducted a comparative analysis of the promotional strategies of the 14 licensed operators and the 2 operators under exclusive rights (FDJ and PMU). This analysis revealed points of vigilance, common to all these operators, which justify attaching conditions to approval decisions:

A substantial increase in advertising budgets of 26% compared to 2019*, with large-scale campaigns around major sporting events planned for this year (notably the Euro Football Championship and the Tokyo Olympic Games);
A reinforced targeting of young people with the use of digital marketing strategies on the social networks Snapchat and TikTok particularly followed by minors;
Active stimulation of the player with the effect of intensifying gambling practices and the recruitment of new players (bonuses, personalization of the offer).

The particular case of monopoly operators (FDJ and PMU)

An examination of the promotional strategies of these two operators under exclusive rights shows that the Authority has serious concerns about them, particularly in light of the case law of the CJEU and the Conseil d’Etat, which reminds us that the monopolies’ advertising efforts must remain measured and strictly limited to what is necessary to channel consumers towards controlled gambling networks. Moreover, in connection with this jurisprudence, the ANJ will be vigilant to ensure that any advertising or promotional campaign by these operators does not hide behind arguments of general interest to give a positive image of gambling or to justify it.

The ANJ will be very attentive to ensure that the points of vigilance it has identified are the object of particular attention on the part of operators with regard to their obligations in terms of prevention of excessive gambling and protection of minors.

*Since the 2020 budgets are not significant, 2019 will be the last fiscal year carried out under normal market conditions.

Compliance Updates

MGA Representative Appointed Co-Chair of GREF InfoStat Working Group

Published

7 minutes ago

May 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

mga-representative-appointed-co-chair-of-gref-infostat-working-group

Erika Spiteri Bailey, the Senior Executive of Business Intelligence & Data Analytics at the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), has been officially appointed as the Co-Chair of the InfoStat Working Group within the Gambling Regulators European Forum (GREF).

Erika Spiteri Bailey will serve in this role alongside Anssi Airas, representing the National Police Board of Finland.

GREF is a forum for European gaming regulators, facilitating the exchange of views and the development of approaches to common regulatory challenges. Within this framework, the InfoStat Working Group provides a platform for regulators to collaborate and exchange insights on the use of data in support of effective policy development and decision‑making across jurisdictions.

In her role as Co-Chair, Erika Spiteri Bailey will contribute to shaping the group’s work programme and fostering cooperation among members, with a focus on strengthening data‑driven regulatory approaches.

The post MGA Representative Appointed Co-Chair of GREF InfoStat Working Group appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Chris Thornton

GamCare Appoints Chris Thornton as its New Director of Operations

Published

7 minutes ago

May 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

gamcare-appoints-chris-thornton-as-its-new-director-of-operations

GamCare has announced the appointment of Chris Thornton as its new Director of Operations, with overall responsibility for the delivery and performance of GamCare’s national and regional services, including the National Gambling Helpline. Chris joins the Executive Leadership Team at a pivotal time for the gambling support sector.

Chris brings extensive senior leadership experience spanning the NHS, voluntary sector and health commissioning. He joins GamCare from the British Red Cross, where as Director for the North of England and Isle of Man he led multi-disciplinary health and care operations, managing around 100 staff and £3m in annual income from NHS and local authority commissioned services, delivering measurable reductions in emergency department attendance, hospital readmissions and reliance on formal social care.

Chris has built and led services at scale throughout his career. At Primary Care Sheffield he led city-wide clinical services and co-led successful bids worth £22m. At St John Ambulance he created the East Midlands region and grew its charitable output by 365% while reducing costs by 61%. He is a Chartered Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and served for eight years on the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee.

Chris Thornton, incoming Director of Operations at GamCare, said: “I’m thrilled to join GamCare at such an important moment for the organisation and for everyone working to reduce gambling harms across the UK. GamCare operates at national scale, running the UK’s only round-the-clock specialist support service for gambling harms, combining the National Gambling Helpline, live chat, online communities and self-guided tools with thousands of structured treatment sessions and prevention and education programmes reaching tens of thousands of people each year.

“That combination of specialist expertise, integrated delivery and frontline impact is rare in any sector, and is shaping how effective support for gambling harms is understood and delivered. I’m looking forward to building on those foundations and to playing my part in ensuring GamCare’s services continue to meet growing demand as the sector evolves.”

Victoria Corbishley, CEO of GamCare, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Chris to GamCare and to the Executive Leadership Team. He brings exactly the combination of strategic and operational leadership that reflects how we work, significant experience of leading complex health and community services at scale, a strong track record of evidencing impact, and a deep commitment to reaching people who are often underserved. I look forward to working closely with him as we continue to deliver and develop our national services.”

The post GamCare Appoints Chris Thornton as its New Director of Operations appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Christer Fahlstedt

Paf Passes Half a Billion Euros for the Benefit of Society

Published

7 minutes ago

May 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

paf-passes-half-a-billion-euros-for-the-benefit-of-society

Paf increased both its revenue and profit during 2025. At the same time, the company has passed a historic milestone – more than half a billion euros has now been distributed for the benefit of society since its foundation in 1966.

The Paf Group’s revenue increased to 214.5 million euro in 2025, compared to 191.7 million euro the previous year, an increase of 12%. The Group’s profit also increased, from 54.3 million to 57.2 million euro.

“The profit improved by five percent, which means that Paf delivered the strongest result in the company’s history. Our figures are positive across all our markets and our physical operations increased revenue by three percent,” said Christer Fahlstedt, CEO of Paf.

During the past year, the number of active customers also increased by 12%, contributing to the positive development.

The annual distribution of Paf funds amounts to 55.5 million euro. This major distribution means that Paf passes half a billion euros in distributed Paf funds. Since Paf was founded in 1966, a total of 527.9 million euro has been distributed for the benefit of society.

“Contributing more than 500 million euro to building a stronger society in Åland is a new milestone in Paf’s 60-year history. Paf has made a remarkable journey from offering local gaming experiences in Åland in the 1960s to introducing gaming onboard ferries during the latter part of the 20th century. With the development of digital gaming since the early 2000s, Paf is today an established operator in several markets across Europe,” said Jan-Mikael von Schantz, Chairman of the Board at Paf.

“It is the result of long-term and successful work carried out with great expertise by Paf’s management and employees,” he added.

Paf funds are used for various projects and organisations that benefit society, including social activities, culture, youth work, sports, environmental initiatives and more.

“We do not take the measures we introduce lightly, it requires a great deal from all of us at Paf when we implement responsible gaming measures that other operators in the industry do not have. At the same time, we are proud to stand by what we believe is the right and responsible way forward,” said Christer Fahlstedt.

In 2025, Paf chose to lower the loss limit to 16,000 euro for all customers and to 6000 euro for young people aged 20–24. This year in February 2026, the general mandatory loss limit was further reduced to 15,000 euro. The latest reduction means that Paf has now halved the original loss limit that was first introduced in 2018.

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