France prefers to keep things close to the chest when it concerns its gambling industry. This is why operating sports betting and gaming companies first need to get a clearance from the Autorité Nationale des Jeux or ANJ, which is the French gambling authority to conduct pretty much any business. Even companies’ marketing strategies need to get a go-ahead from the watchdog before they can carry on.
Winamax Appeases Regulator
This was the case for Winamax, one of the most prominent operators in the French gambling market, which needed to resubmit its marketing strategy for 2022, after it was first turned down by the regulator. France has been trying to get in line with other countries in Europe in making sure that the marketing strategies used aren’t too aggressive or too heavily focused on player acquisition at the expense of players’ safety.
ANJ’s refusal to approve the first draft came in March after the regulator had just completed its annual review of operators’ marketing strategies. This is a standard procedure in the market and operators must comply with it.
The regulator argued that part of Winamax’s marketing strategy involved a person who was shown as gambling and his life getting considerably better as a result. This was at odds with the core principles of responsible gambling. After consultations, Winamax made sure to resubmit its marketing strategy on April 19.
In the revised version, Winamax had taken steps to ensure that it’s not appealing to underage individuals. Something similar is happening in other newly-regulated gambling markets. For example, the Netherlands is enacting a role model ban on July 1.
Not All for Your Mother
This ban will effectively prohibit gambling companies to promote their services and products using influencers or publicly known persons who may be popular with young audiences. Winamax assured to follow the fairly similar recommendations from the ANJ, but decided to again the original tag of the first draft, which reads “Tout pour la Daronne,” or “All for your Mother.”
Understandably, ANJ has been looking to ensure that all operators fall in line with specific responsible gambling guidelines as with the World Cup looming in Qatar this November, there will be huge betting volumes going down on Winamax and others. It’s important that whoever is betting is doing so while not being led into unnecessary temptation or being given false promises, Winamax concluded.