The French National Gaming Authority, or ANJ, is cautioning consumers about illicit gambling websites that are employing the names of legitimate operators to advertise their services on Facebook.
The ANJ states that they have observed some unlawful operators utilizing this strategy to mislead players into wagering on their sites. The regulatory body monitors Facebook on a daily basis and collaborates with the social media behemoth to address this concern.
To date, the ANJ has reported roughly 400 website URLs to Facebook’s parent company, Meta, leading to the suspension of 137 user accounts on the social platform.
The ANJ asserts that the primary targets of these illicit websites are the Barrière and JOA groups. Individuals are using the brands owned by these authorized operators to create counterfeit promotional imagery, which they use to lure players to visit their unlicensed websites that are not associated with the license holders.
These images frequently contain links to fabricated landing pages that claim to be from the license holder. However, players are actually accessing illegal websites.
At present, any form of online casino is prohibited in France.
Online sports wagering and equine racing betting facilitated by authorized operators are permissible in France, as are licensed brick-and-mortar gaming establishments.
The French National Gaming Authority (ANJ) cautions that gambling through unauthorized websites presents several hazards to players. These dangers encompass the inability to claim winnings, payment deception, pilfering of personal information, and a lack of safeguards in the event of disputes.
The regulatory body stated: “If you harbor any uncertainties regarding the legality of a gambling website you intend to wager on, kindly consult the roster of websites sanctioned by the ANJ.” “You can also peruse the blacklist of websites that the ANJ has administratively obstructed.
“We urge anyone who observes the presence of false advertisements to report them.”
The ANJ’s admonition follows its declaration last month that the value of the illicit gambling market in France could be as substantial as €1.5 billion (£1.28 billion/$1.62 billion). The agency asserted that this would constitute more than 10% of the nation’s total annual betting volume.
The ANJ’s investigation pinpointed 510 illicit websites generating traffic. Of these, merely 21 websites produced 60% of illicit gambling traffic.
Research conducted by PwC estimated that the total gambling revenue generated by illicit gambling ranged from €748 million to €1.5 billion. This represents 5% to 11% of the overall gambling market, which attained a record €12.9 billion in 2022.
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