ANJ outlines new advertisement rules for World Cup 2022

The French Gaming Regulator (ANJ) has posted a press release on its website informing the public that the watchdog has achieved significant progress in ensuring that the upcoming World Cup 2022 event will not be surrounded by excessive gambling advertisement. This comes in the wake of Euro 2020, when social media, TV and radio broadcasts were inundated with gambling advertisement that was largely criticized.

Responding to this criticism, the ANJ launched a consultation initiative which wrapped up in 2021 and has been able to create new rules for gambling advertisement based on voluntary charters that many gambling companies have signed into. Essentially, these charters obligate the companies signing them to maintain and stick to certain rules when it comes to gambling advertisement broadcast during the World Cup 2022 event, which will be taking place from November 20 through December 18.

Each charter is different, but it basically tells participants what is expected from them. Those expectations have to do with the frequency and intensity of bonus inducements, such as how often the ads can appear during a live game’s break, on the radio, and social media. Gambling advertisement will be reduced in public spaces such as the metro and train stations.

Companies that have opted into the charters will also have to refrain from advertising in the proximity of certain high-risk facilities, such as gambling and addiction clinics, schools, and others. The ANJ will also step up its effort in making sure that gambling advertisement is replaced with a lot of responsible gambling messaging instead.

Commenting on these changes, Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, who is the President of the ANJ, said that the regulator took notice from the previous events and had made sure to leverage its knowledge and understanding of the sector to create an advertisement space that is safer for all participants. Stakeholders will be held to the highest standards of gambling advertisement.

What about the rest, though? The ANJ does not immediately specify what would happen to non-signatories who have not opted into the charters, but a likely scenario is that they will be put under further scrutiny and sanctioned on the spot if they break any of the rules outlined in the charters in the first place, although this can be harder to enforce.

This ANJ decision follows on its October introduction of stricter bonusing and promotional rules, once again in light of the upcoming World Cup 2022 tournament.

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