ADM · Italy
Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli
The customs and monopolies agency, which awards Italian online gaming concessions by public tender rather than open licensing.
Autorité nationale des jeux
The French regulator, which licenses online betting and poker but not online casino games.
What this authority does
France opened online gambling to competition in 2010 under the regulator then known as ARJEL, which was replaced in 2020 by the Autorité nationale des jeux with a wider remit covering the state lottery and betting operator as well as the licensed online sector.
The important point for anyone mapping the European market is what the French licence does not cover. Only three verticals can be licensed online: sports betting, horse race betting and poker. Online casino games, including slots and roulette, cannot be offered to French customers by anyone, and proposals to licence them have so far not been carried through. France is consequently the largest European economy with no legal online casino.
French supervision is also unusual in its method. Licensed operators submit annual action plans on responsible gambling and on combating money laundering, and the regulator approves or rejects them, which places the emphasis on forward-looking commitments rather than only on after-the-fact enforcement.
Licences it issues
- Online sports betting
- Online horse race betting
- Online poker
What supervision concentrates on
- Licensing of three online verticals
- Approval of operators' annual action plans
- Advertising supervision
- Approval of the state monopoly's strategy
Markets on file under this authority
| Market | Online casino | Sports betting | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Prohibited | Licensed | Open licensing, three verticals only |
Questions about the ANJ
Other authorities in Europe
AGCC · Alderney
Alderney Gambling Control Commission
A Channel Island regulator whose two-category licence separates the customer relationship from the platform.
DGOJ · Spain
Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego
The Spanish regulator, which operates a two-tier licence and some of Europe's strictest advertising limits.
UKGC · Great Britain
Gambling Commission
The licensing body for all gambling offered to customers in Great Britain, whether the operator is based there or not.
GRAI · Ireland
Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland
The authority created in 2024 to license Irish gambling for the first time under a single framework.
GSC · Isle of Man
Gambling Supervision Commission
A long-established Crown Dependency licensing jurisdiction, used heavily by platform and network businesses.