Sports Betting and Risks of Addiction: the National Gaming Authority Launches a Prevention Campaign Before the Euro Football

June 5, 2024 — As Euro football approaches , the ANJ asked Toluna – Harris Interactive to question the French about their betting intentions. According to this study, more than half of French people plan to follow the competitions and of these, more than a third intend to bet. To prevent, particularly among young people, the risks of addiction associated with sports betting, the ANJ is launching a campaign which aims to bring to life the legal notices present on advertisements.

Sports betting during major sporting events 

With more than €4 billion in online bets committed in 2023, football remains the sport with the highest number of bets (52% of stakes) in France, followed by tennis and basketball.

Euro 2020, which was held in June 2021, generated €700 million in stakes (online and at points of sale).

The 2022 World Cup recorded €900 million in stakes.

Given the evolution of the sports betting market and the stakes recorded during the last competitions, a stake amount approaching €1 billion could be reached . The course of the French team will nevertheless be decisive in the amount of stakes.

64% of sports bettors are between 18 and 34 years old. There were more than 4 million active accounts in 2023 with an average annual stake of €1,982 per account. 

The French and betting during Euro 2024

• More than half of French people say they intend to follow Euro football (55%) .

• If more than half of the people who plan to follow the Euro football plan to make a friendly bet with their loved ones ,  more than a third intend to bet money  on the matches (35%) and 44 % among those under 35. The French team’s matches are those which generate the most betting intentions.

• The risks of addiction and dependence associated with sports betting are identified by 8 out of 10 French people (82%),  and by a higher proportion of those who plan to bet during the Euro. This level of perception is up 9 points compared to 2022.

“Behind the mentions”: the ANJ prevention campaign 

The Games Observatory estimated in 2019 that there were 1.4 million gambling players at risk, including nearly 400,000 at the pathological level. Sports betting represents the greatest risk of problem gambling on an individual level. In fact, the share of excessive gamblers is 6 times higher than for lottery games (i.e. 5.9% for sports betting).

In its 2024/2026 strategic plan, the ANJ has set as a priority objective a drastic reduction in the share of excessive gamblers within three years.

Just before Euro football, the ANJ is launching a prevention campaign, designed by the Rosbeef! agency, on the risks of addiction associated with sports betting.

If most bettors have a recreational and controlled practice, the objective of this prevention campaign is to make an impression by bringing to life the legal notices which appear on advertisements for gambling and which few people really look at.

By dedicating a deliberately disproportionate part of the visual to them (the yellow banner takes over) and by telling the real stories of sports betting addiction, the message of the mentions becomes stronger and less theoretical. The signature is as follows: “  2 lines at the bottom of an ad will never be enough to tell the story of the spiral of addiction to sports betting  ”.

The messages refer to the  Evalujeu site , which allows you to evaluate your playing practice and obtain appropriate advice to maintain control. The site also allows you to obtain all the useful information on the support systems and structures available to players and those around them.

The media plan consists of: 

• a digital display campaign offered by JCDecaux and Metrobus;

• a social ads campaign on Snapchat;

• a radio spot in digital audio;

• an event publication in SO FOOT;

• video clips with player testimonials.

Discover the campaign

For Isabelle FALQUE-PIERROTIN, President of the ANJ  :  “Since the excesses of the Euro in 2021, gambling operators have become aware of their responsibilities in the fight against excessive gambling and have adjusted their practices. This positive dynamic must continue during the Euro and the Olympic Games and the ANJ will be vigilant on the actual practices of each. In addition to the campaigns carried out by public authorities, the ANJ wishes to make an impact with its campaign which aims to make people understand that legal notices on advertisements are not only a legal obligation but that they contain stories of players’ lives , testimonials on the risks linked to excessive gambling such as those we receive every day at the ANJ. »

Toluna – Harris Interactive survey carried out online from May 15 to 17, 2024 by Harris Interactive for the ANJ. Sample of 1,070 people representative of French people aged 18 and over.

SOURCE: l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ).