In a report that has sent shockwaves through the European gaming industry, the French gambling regulator, ANJ, has released data from a new algorithm designed to track excessive play.
The results indicate that a small fraction of “high-risk” players is responsible for the vast majority of operator turnover, highlighting a significant gap between current operator identification processes and actual player behavior.
The Data on Excessive Play
The algorithm identified approximately 600,000 players at high risk during the second half of 2025, representing 8.7% of all registered accounts. Most alarmingly, these individuals generated €1.2 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR), accounting for a staggering 60% of the total revenue in the French market. Isabelle Falque‑Pierrotin, Chair of the ANJ, stressed the importance of this technical milestone:
“The finalization of this algorithm and its release to operators marks a decisive step for the regulator. It demonstrates the regulator’s ability to develop an innovative and effective tool, designed to closely reflect the actual behavior of online gamblers.”
Operator Intervention Under Fire
While French law requires operators to identify and support problem gamblers, the ANJ found these efforts to be insufficient. Between 2024 and 2025, operators reported flagging only 89,000 players, a figure that pales in comparison to the 600,000 identified by the regulator’s tool.
The ANJ now expects operators to take immediate corrective action, starting with the 300,000 players deemed “clearly excessive.” Suggested measures include direct outreach, the implementation of hard deposit limits, and account closures where necessary.
The ANJ intends for this algorithm to be used by operators to audit their own internal safety systems and plans to extend these identification processes to retail points of sale.
