Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin

Career Background

Falque-Pierrotin graduated from HEC Paris and the École nationale d’administration (ENA), France’s elite civil service academy. She began her public career at the Ministry of Culture, later joining the Conseil d’État, where she eventually became Conseiller d’État, one of the most senior legal advisory roles in the French administrative judiciary.

In the 1990s, she held several roles in both public administration and the private sector, including a management position at Groupe Bull. She later contributed to France’s early policy responses to the internet and digital communication, coordinating one of the first Council of State reports on the legal implications of online technologies.

Between 2011 and 2019, Falque-Pierrotin served as President of CNIL, France’s data protection authority. Her tenure coincided with the development and implementation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). She also chaired the Article 29 Working Party, helping to shape Europe’s collective approach to digital privacy.

Under her leadership, CNIL evolved into a more proactive regulator, issuing landmark decisions including the €50 million fine against Google in 2019. These actions demonstrated CNIL’s readiness to enforce GDPR principles against powerful global platforms and positioned France as a leader in digital compliance.

Formation of ANJ

In 2019, Falque-Pierrotin was appointed to lead the transition from ARJEL to the newly created Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ). The restructured body was given a significantly broader mandate, covering not only online gambling operators but also the state lottery, retail betting networks, and promotional practices across the market.

ANJ officially launched in June 2020. It now supervises most of France’s regulated gambling sector, including online gambling, the state-run lottery (FDJ), and land-based betting shops. However, land-based casinos and horse racing under PMU remain under separate regulatory authorities.

Falque-Pierrotin’s initial objective was to consolidate oversight mechanisms, clarify the regulator’s mission, and establish ANJ as a credible authority capable of dealing with both legacy operators and rapidly evolving online businesses.

ANJ under Falque-Pierrotin has taken a firm stance on harm prevention, transparency, and corporate accountability. All licensed operators are required to submit annual plans detailing how they will mitigate problem gambling, protect minors, and manage promotional activity responsibly.

The regulator has also developed specific guidelines for advertising, aiming to reduce exposure among vulnerable populations and limit the intensity of commercial pressure. In parallel, ANJ monitors operator performance using behavioural data, enabling risk-based interventions where necessary.

Confronting the Grey Zone of Digital Gambling

One of the key developments under Falque-Pierrotin’s leadership has been the regulator’s engagement with digital games that resemble gambling but fall outside traditional definitions. These include games involving monetisable digital objects, such as loot boxes, skins, and blockchain-based assets.

In 2024, ANJ introduced an experimental registration framework for these products, known in France as JONUM (jeux à objets numériques monétisables). The goal is to assess their impact, particularly on younger users, while preparing appropriate policy responses. It is not a licensing system, but rather a voluntary declaration and compliance pilot.

Strengthening Regulatory Cooperation Across Europe

In 2023, Falque-Pierrotin was elected Chair of the Gambling Regulators’ European Forum (GREF), a position that strengthens her influence beyond France. Through GREF, she has worked to align national regulators on topics such as responsible gambling, affiliate oversight, and illegal market enforcement.

Falque-Pierrotin’s leadership style is defined by her public administration background. She approaches gambling regulation as a matter of public policy, not as an extension of industry management. Her focus is on building long-term institutional capacity and ensuring that regulatory systems are robust, independent, and responsive to emerging challenges.