ANJ Renews Sports Betting Addiction Campaign Ahead of Roland-Garros
With Roland-Garros approaching, France’s gambling regulator has relaunched its awareness campaign highlighting the risks of sports betting addiction. The initiative builds on last year’s launch during Euro 2024 and continues to challenge the way legal warnings are used in gambling ads.
Over a Million People Face Gambling Problems
France’s public health agency, OFDT, estimates that 1.17 million people in the country face gambling-related problems. Of that number, 360,000 fall into the “excessive gambler” category. Sports betting presents the highest risk: 5.9% of all sports bettors show signs of excessive gambling. That’s six times the rate seen among lottery players.
The French gambling authority, ANJ, has included harm reduction as a key objective in its 2024–2026 strategy. It wants to reduce the share of excessive gamblers within three years. While many players gamble occasionally and without harm, ANJ argues that traditional messaging has lost its effectiveness—especially among young men who bet on sports.
Legal Warnings Take Center Stage in New Campaign
During the Euro 2024 football tournament, ANJ launched a campaign that flipped the standard advertising model. Instead of hiding legal disclaimers at the bottom of the ad, the design gives them top billing. A bright yellow banner dominates the image, alongside true stories of people struggling with addiction.
The slogan reads: “Two lines at the bottom of an ad will never be enough to explain the spiral of sports betting addiction.”
Evalujeu Platform and Public Response
Each ad links to Evalujeu, a website where players can evaluate their gambling habits and receive advice. The site also helps users find support services for themselves or their families.
The campaign won gold in the “Print Advertising” category at the 2024 Grand Prix Stratégies du Sport et de l’eSport. Its success suggests that public health messaging in gambling may need a new visual language—one that’s harder to ignore.
