ANJ Urges French Operators to Strengthen AML Controls

France’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), has urged licensed operators to reinforce their anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing controls.

The warning, issued on 22 September 2026, follows the ANJ’s first referral of a licensed operator to France’s National Sanctions Commission (NSC) in 2025. The case involved shortcomings in asset-freezing measures, including inadequate procedures for reporting suspicious transactions.

The NSC confirmed the breaches and imposed a fine of around €20,000, along with a suspended two-month prohibition on conducting operations. A former officer received a similar sanction, while a senior compliance department officer was given a lower financial penalty of approximately €5,000 and was also prohibited from holding a position of responsibility.

The ANJ said operators must establish appropriate systems and have sufficient specialist staff to identify customers who are subject to asset-freezing measures.

Operators must also prevent such individuals from opening accounts or placing bets. If a prohibition is discovered after an account has already been opened, the funds must be frozen immediately and the Minister of Economics notified.

The regulator said it is taking a stricter approach to supervising organisations on AML requirements. Operators have been asked to review their customer screening systems, escalation procedures, staff training and reporting processes.

The ANJ is also working to strengthen its AML framework, including improvements to notification procedures and due diligence involving high-risk customers.

Player protection forms another part of the regulator’s broader supervisory programme. The ANJ recently introduced an algorithm intended to identify excessive or pathological gambling, providing a common reference point for evaluating the detection systems used by operators.