France’s gambling regulator has launched a public awareness campaign targeting football followers and younger adults ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, citing survey data showing 41% of French tournament followers plan to place real-money bets and projecting total stakes in France could approach €1.2 billion over the course of the competition.
The Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) commissioned the research and the accompanying campaign to address what it described as a convergence of risk factors: a tournament format with more matches, higher advertising exposure, and a rising trend in problem gambling prevalence.
Survey Findings
Research by Toluna-Harris Interactive, conducted between 19 and 21 May 2026 with 1,071 French adults, found that 57% planned to follow the World Cup. Of those, 41% said they expected to bet through mobile apps, websites or physical outlets. A further 51% anticipated making informal bets with friends or family without money changing hands.
Men and younger adults showed the strongest betting intent. Among World Cup followers, 49% of men planned to place real-money bets, as did 52% of 18-24s and 54% of 25-34s. Respondents from higher socio-economic groups were more likely to plan bets (49%) compared with those from lower-status groups (35%). Many respondents who had placed bets during previous tournaments said they expected to increase spending in 2026.
Risk Awareness and Problem Gambling Indicators
Risk awareness was widespread but did not consistently deter betting intent. 83% of respondents agreed that sports betting carried risks of addiction and dependence, including many who still planned to wager. Among active sports bettors, 37% reported a loss of control over their gambling in the past year. That figure rose to 67% among bettors aged 18-24.
The French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimated around 1.17 million people in France showed problematic gambling behaviour in 2024, with roughly 360,000 classified as excessive players. Separately, 19% of survey respondents said they knew someone who had lost control of their gambling.
Advertising Exposure and Restrictions
35% of respondents recalled seeing sports betting advertising recently, with higher recall among younger adults and football followers. Television was the primary channel, ahead of internet platforms and social networks.
Public support for tighter restrictions was significant. 77% backed a commitment by broadcasters and operators to ban betting adverts during three-minute mid-half breaks. 82% supported a ban on television betting adverts in the five minutes before kick-off, during matches and in the five minutes after the final whistle.
The French push on advertising around live sport sits within a broader European regulatory direction. Spain introduced tobacco-style warning labels for online gambling last year, while the Dutch regulator issued warnings against gambling normalisation in February as social attitudes toward betting shifted.
Spain Introduces Tobacco-Style Warning Labels for Online Gambling
Scale of World Cup Wagering
ANJ said the 2022 World Cup generated more than €900 million in bets across online and retail channels in France. The France vs Argentina final alone drew nearly €54 million in online wagers. For 2026, the regulator projects total stakes could reach approximately €1.2 billion, though France’s performance in the tournament will affect that figure.
Campaign Design
The campaign, developed with creative agency LIBRE, launches one week before the tournament begins. It uses the yellow legal warning banner as a visual frame, placing it around a staged living-room installation in public spaces. Actors depict behaviours associated with gambling addiction: mounting losses, attempts to recover bets, agitation and withdrawal. The slogan directs audiences to Evalujeu, ANJ’s personalised self-assessment and support platform.
Regulator Statement
Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, ANJ president, said:
“With the approach of this World Cup, we are entering a risk zone with several warning signs for the regulator: a greater number of matches and therefore more advertising and betting opportunities and, at the same time, we are seeing an upward trend in the number of problem gamblers and their contribution to operators’ revenue.”
ANJ said it will intensify monitoring of advertising commitments and work closely with broadcasters and operators throughout the competition. The regulator also plans to scale up promotion of support services and coordinate outreach with local treatment providers. Seven European regulators convened in Madrid in November to address cross-border oversight challenges, and France’s approach during the World Cup will be an early test of how national frameworks manage demand surges tied to major sporting events.
Source: Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ)
