ANJ launches RG campaign ahead of EURO 2024

EURO 2024, one of the most celebrated soccer events in Europe and the world, is about to get underway. With an expected 1.4m bettors anticipated to place a wager, and a total amount of wagers that could well exceed $1bn, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has launched a new responsible gambling campaign.

Responsible gambling to curb EURO 2024 harmful gambling

The ANJ is working with marketing agency Rosbeef to promote a responsible gambling campaign designed to help the more than a million bettors expected to place a wager on how to stay safe.

Citing publicly available information, the ANJ cautioned that there may be as many as 400,000 people who are experiencing gambling harm in France. This is based on information published by The Games Observatoire, a ten-member board tracking stats across the industry, back in 2019.

The numbers have most likely grown since. To help fight back, the ANJ has been producing savvy ads seeking to highlight the need for a more comprehensive approach to gambling, especially during the time of big competitions, and in particular the UEFA World Cup and EURO tournaments.

Sports betting is also a higher-risk vertical in general, as excessive gambling patterns outstrip similar behavior found in the lottery segment by a margin of 6 to 1.

However, the ANJ wants to respond to this and ensure that, as part of its strategy for 2024/2026, the regulator is focused on reducing the participation of problem gamblers (excessive gamblers as the French term describes them) in sports betting contests.

ANJ President Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin has welcomed this opportunity to address the excessive levels of gambling usually associated with big sporting events such as the EURO.

Helping French bettors be safer when gambling on the EURO

She noted that since the same tournament in 2021, the regulator has been actively trying to reduce the levels of harm experienced by players. Many operators have toed the line and doubled down their efforts to do the same, Falque-Pierrotin argued.

"The ANJ wishes to leave an impact with its campaign which seeks to make people understand that legal disclaimers shown in advertisements are not just a legal obligation but that they tell the stories of players' lives , testimonials of the risks linked to excessive gambling, such as the ANJ goes through every day."

There are several ways to achieve this. The marketing campaign and push that will be shared by the entire industry involves visible responsible gambling messaging, warnings about the dangers of excessive behaviors and interviews with people who have lived experiences to share when it comes to problem gambling.

The new catchphrase displayed on a poster says, "Two lines in an ad would not suffice to tell you about the addiction spiral caused by sports betting," in a bid to provoke thought in general consumers and vulnerable risk groups.

The ANJ is planning an official digital push by JCDecaux and Metrobus, a social media campaign through Snapchat, radio advertisement, another campaign launched with SO FOOT, a prominent sports media outlet, and a number of videos that will help tell the stories of people who have suffered from gambling in the first place.

EURO 2024 will kick off on June 14.

Image credit: ANJ