Understanding Data Processing Regulations for Gambling Operators

A Guide to Align GDPR with Gambling Regulations

Operators of gambling and games of chance—including exclusive rights holders, online gaming operators, casinos, and gaming clubs—process large volumes of players’ personal data daily, such as identity, contact details, banking information, financial transactions, and gaming activity.

These processing activities of data must comply with the GDPR while also meeting specific sectoral obligations, particularly in preventing excessive gambling and combating money laundering and terrorist financing.

To support operators, the French National Gambling Authority (ANJ), in close collaboration with the CNIL, has published a guide clarifying how data protection rules apply in this sector. The guide is not prescriptive but provides recommendations to help stakeholders achieve compliance.

Note: The guide covers only personal data processing within gambling activities under the ANJ’s jurisdiction. Processing related to general business management (human resources, accounting, financial management, etc.) is outside its scope.

Shared Expertise Serving Gambling Operators

Developed by the French National Gambling Authority (ANJ) with the active contribution of the CNIL, the Guide on Personal Data Processing for the Gambling Sector is the result of close collaboration between the two authorities.

The guide provides operators with practical benchmarks that take into account both:

GDPR requirements and the protection of players’ personal data;

Sector-specific obligations applicable to gambling and the regulatory objectives pursued by the ANJ.

This joint approach makes it possible to offer recommendations tailored to the specific needs of the sector while ensuring a high level of protection for the individuals concerned.

Key Guidelines Provided by the New Guide

After a reminder of the fundamental principles of the GDPR, the guide offers practical benchmarks to help gambling operators apply them. It provides detailed clarifications on three central themes:

-Player account management and commercial prospecting

-Prevention of excessive or pathological gambling

-Combating money laundering and terrorist financing

For each of these areas, the guide specifies the appropriate legal bases, the rights of the individuals concerned, and the conditions required to ensure that data processing remains proportionate to the intended purposes.