Major events and sports betting: Outcome of the Euro football championship, Prospects for Paris Olympics

This lower enthusiasm can be explained by various factors such as the political context that followed the legislative elections or by the absence of goals scored by the French team in the group stage, etc. These elements, to which is added the upcoming holding of the Olympic Games in Paris, resulted in media coverage of the competition being lower than in 2021 and audiences falling for the French team's matches.

With regard to the marketing strategies of the operators who planned to invest €60 million during the event, no major incidents were noted, whether in terms of content or advertising volumes. The call for moderation made by the ANJ has therefore been respected by all operators.

In terms of the fight against illegal supply, the ANJ has noted that while a growing number of illegal online casino sites offer an ancillary sports betting offer, this is poorly frequented by the public, a weakness that a study published in December 2023 by the company Pricewaterhouse Coopers had already highlighted.

The growth of the online sports betting market in the first half of 2024

Beyond the attractiveness of Euro 2024 for French bettors, the sports betting market is very dynamic in the first half of 2024, with a growth in stakes of 24% (€5,200 million) and a growth in GGR of 16% (€871 million) compared to 2023. This growth in GGR is not only attributable to the Euro football tournament because the cumulative GGR from January to May 2024 was already growing compared to last year. The Euro has only amplified this upward trend. The GGR are also growing by 16% with a particularly successful month of June which can be explained by the acquisition marketing strategies deployed by operators. In June 2024, there will be more than 2M APA compared to 1.25M in the same month of the previous year.

More generally, the online gaming market is up 10% in the first half of 2024 and stands at €1,302M in APA. APA (active player accounts) are also up sharply at +13% compared to the first half of 2023.

Sports betting during the Paris Olympics: which sports are open to betting, what coordinated actions to combat manipulation?

According to a study carried out by Toluna-Harris Interactive in May for the ANJ, 25% of French people interested in the Olympics were considering betting during the Paris Olympics. 74% of these potential bettors say that the fact that the Games are taking place in Paris is an argument that makes them want to bet, and this is even though 64% had not bet 4 years ago, during the Tokyo Games.

32 sports will be represented during the Paris Olympics. 270 events will be open for betting out of 329 events in total (i.e. 82% of the events).

Only sports betting on competitions or sporting events expressly authorized by the ANJ may be offered, particularly with regard to the risks of manipulation that they present. The same applies to the game phases and the types of results that can be used as a basis for these bets. The ANJ therefore keeps the list of authorized sports betting media or "sports list" up to date.

The sports for which the ANJ has not received a request for inclusion on the sports list are as follows: Breaking, skateboarding, surfing, swimming (artistic and diving), gymnastics (rhythmic and trampoline), horse riding (dressage and eventing).

During the Tokyo Games in 2021, €120 million was wagered in France. These stakes could double with the Paris Games.

Throughout the competition, a system for monitoring the risks of manipulation based on the cooperation of the ANJ, the COJOP and the IOC and their national and international partners will be operational.

This is an unprecedented system because it is the first time that the Olympic Games are taking place in a country with a national platform to combat sports manipulation. The originality of this system is to bring together very diverse stakeholders, public and private, on both the national and international levels.

At the national level, the national platform to combat the manipulation of sports competitions, recognized by the law of March 2, 2022, will play a decisive role. Chaired by the Minister of Sports, it brings together the Ministries of the Interior (Central Racing and Gaming Service), Justice (Paris Public Prosecutor's Office), Finance (Tracfin) and representatives of the sports movement (CNOSF, sports federations, AFCAM), as well as representatives of online gaming operators (AFJEL) and the monopoly operator in points of sale (FDJ). The ANJ is responsible for monitoring betting for the platform. In this capacity, it collects, analyses and transmits all alerts received on competitions taking place on the territory or open to betting in France and coordinates the actions of the platform's members and partners.

At the international level, it is the network of national platforms set up at the initiative of the Council of Europe and which now includes nearly forty countries, on all continents, which will be mobilised. This network of national platforms makes it possible to exchange information to combat international organised crime.