France’s National Gaming Authority (ANJ) and the Professional Advertising Regulatory Authority (ARPP) sign a new three-year partnership agreement to bolster collaboration on commercial communications that promote licensed gambling and companies authorised to offer monetisable digital object games.
Signed on October 7, the agreement builds on a previous collab between the two organisations from July 2023. It sets out arrangements for closer cooperation on advertising compliance, information sharing, industry guidance and public awareness initiatives covering gambling and the emerging market for games involving monetisable digital objects (JONUM).
The objective of the extended partnership is to support effective regulation of gambling advertising while helping operators, advertising professionals and content creators understand and comply with the rules governing commercial communications.
Sharing Expertise on Gambling Ads
As part of the agreement, the ANJ and ARPP will exchange analyses and expertise on gambling advertising, assessing commercial communications against the applicable legal framework and industry standards.
Their cooperation will cover advertising by licensed French casinos, including those operating under exclusive rights, as well as companies offering JONUM under France’s experimental regulatory framework.
They will consider ANJ’s existing guidelines on commercial communications, financial incentives offered to players and sports sponsorships. They will also take into account ARPP’s advertising code, including its specific recommendation on gambling, and the International Chamber of Commerce’s code on advertising and marketing.
The agreement further cements the respective roles of ANJ and ARPP, with the latter being the first point of contact for licensed casino platforms that seek reviews of advertising campaigns before publication. It assesses submitted proposals against its gambling advertising recommendations and applicable regulations.
If the ARPP is unsure whether a campaign complies with the rules, it can consult the ANJ and exchange assessments with the regulator, which are subject to confidentiality requirements.
The new collaboration also enables cooperation when complaints are filed to the Advertising Ethics Jury about commercial communications promoting a licensed operator. The ARPP will then inform the ANJ, which may provide observations where appropriate.
Still, the ANJ will keep its independent decision-making authority, including its ability to require the withdrawal of commercial communications where the applicable legal conditions are met.
Annual Monitoring of Advertising Practices
A central element of the agreement will be an annual observatory, which will allow the two organisations to exchange information on developments in gambling advertising.
The review will cover major advertising campaigns, mainly notable commercial communications, examples considered to show good practices, and ads that have raised concerns about compliance.
It will also examine emerging advertising trends and new commercial practices among gambling operators. The ARPP will inform the ANJ when content creators obtain its Responsible Commercial Influence Certificate with the gambling option.
The certification will help the agreement’s wider focus on commercial influence and the role of content creators in promoting gambling-related products and services.
The partnership also allows the organisations to coordinate data and compliance initiatives for gaming operators, advertising pros and influencers. These may include public conferences, training sessions, information events and joint communications explaining the specific risks and rules associated with gambling advertising and JONUM.
Reviewing Advertising Standards and Industry Commitments
Via the collaboration, ANJ will be able to contribute to ARPP’s work on advertising standards, including the development of guidance for operators, the content of its responsible commercial influence certification and updates to its gambling advertising recommendations.
The regulator may also contribute educational presentations addressing issues it has identified as particularly important.
On the other hand, the ARPP may be invited to help with ANJ’s work on creating or updating regulatory policy about commercial communications for gambling and JONUM businesses.
One potential area of cooperation is a review of four advertising commitments signed in November 2022, which apply to gambling advertising on television, radio, outdoor advertising and digital channels.
The agreement notes that changes in advertising since the commitments were introduced justify an assessment of their implementation and relevance. The review would consider whether the commitments remain appropriate for the sector’s current challenges and the audiences they are intended to protect, and whether adjustments may be necessary.
The document establishes the possibility of such a review but does not announce specific changes to the existing commitments.
Protecting Consumers and Vulnerable Groups
The partnership builds on the ANJ’s broader mandate to oversee France’s gambling sector, including preventing excessive or pathological gambling, the protection of minors and combating illegal gambling activity.
The regulator can review operators’ annual promotional strategies, restrict certain commercial offers involving financial rewards and require the withdrawal of advertising that encourages gambling by minors or people prohibited from gambling, or that excessively encourages gambling.
Meanwhile, the ARPP brings together advertisers, agencies and media organisations to promote responsible advertising practices. Its work includes developing professional standards, reviewing advertising before publication in certain circumstances and examining complaints about campaigns that have already appeared.
Therefore, the organisations’ cooperation combines the ANJ’s statutory regulatory responsibilities with the ARPP’s professional advertising standards and compliance processes.
The agreement also extends this approach to JONUM, a category of monetisable digital object games introduced on an experimental basis under France’s 2024 law aimed at securing and regulating the digital space. Commercial communications for these activities are subject to restrictions under the relevant legislation.
The convention does not create financial obligations for either organisation and will remain in force for three years from its signature. It can be terminated by either party, provided at least 45 days’ notice is given before termination takes effect. They can also negotiate a renewal before it expires.
