French Sports Betting Undergoes Major Overhaul: ANJ Streamlines Market and Combats Match-Fixing

The French sports betting landscape is undergoing a major transformation! The regulatory agency, ANJ, is implementing a comprehensive overhaul of the licensed market. Since its inception in 2010, French gamblers have faced a restricted selection of sports and wagers, with a “sports catalog” subject to periodic updates. However, ANJ acknowledges that the system has become somewhat convoluted, lacking transparency and uniformity.

This reform, approved in December, seeks to combat match-fixing directly by eliminating bets that do not rely on genuine expertise and understanding of the sport. Additionally, they aim to impose limitations on betting for specific events.

The initial target? The roster of events and competitions available for wagering. A staggering 179 items were removed. Some were eliminated due to their non-existence, while others were dropped because of – frankly – concerns about unethical practices. ANJ even cited Tunisia’s premier football league as an illustration.

Other leagues, such as Armenia’s top football division, were excluded for simply lacking sufficient significance or prestige. How unfortunate.

Once the changes were implemented, the list settled at 772 events.

France has loosened its gambling laws, expanding the array of wagers, especially in basketball and tennis. Although the language of the rules has been made clearer, the total quantity of betting choices hasn’t diminished. As an illustration, the prior limitation on wagers tied to a basketball athlete scoring more than 20 points has been removed. This action comes after the ANJ (France’s regulatory body for gaming) examined promotional ideas from gambling companies.