TLDR
- French lawmakers approved amendments to the Professional Sports Bill that would set mandatory betting loss limits for adults aged 18 to 25.
- The exact loss cap has not been set. The government will decide it later after consulting the ANJ, France’s gambling regulator.
- Around two-thirds of French adults under 25 have placed sports bets, according to regulatory research.
- The bill also includes measures against sports piracy, which affects a large share of Ligue 1 viewers.
- Pascal Chèvremont has taken over as ANJ president, replacing Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin after her five-year term.
French lawmakers have taken a step toward changing how young adults bet on sports. They approved amendments to the Professional Sports Bill this week.
The changes would require licensed sportsbooks to set loss limits for customers aged 18 to 25. This means younger bettors could only lose up to a certain amount before being cut off.
The exact dollar or euro amount has not been decided yet. Lawmakers left that detail for later. The government plans to set the number after talking with the Autorité Nationale des Jeux, known as the ANJ.
Why Lawmakers Are Targeting Young Bettors
The push for these limits has grown over the past several months. Officials have been looking closely at how many young people bet on sports.
This comes ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That event is expected to bring a wave of new sports betting activity across Europe.
Former ANJ president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin backed the plan before she left her role. She pointed to data showing high betting activity among younger adults.
Regulatory studies show that about two out of three French adults under 25 have bet on sports at least once. That number has helped drive support for the new rules.
Other European countries have already tried similar ideas. The Netherlands has loss limits for younger adults already in place. Norway uses spending controls through its state-owned betting operator, Norsk Tipping.
Britain has a narrower rule. It lowered stake limits on online slots for people aged 18 to 24. But that rule only applies to one type of betting product.
France’s plan would go further than stakes alone. It would target total losses across betting activity. That could make it one of the stricter systems in Europe.
Piracy Crackdown Included in the Same Bill
The betting limits are not the only part of this bill. Lawmakers are also using it to update oversight of French sports more broadly.
The bill includes new rules on league governance and financial oversight. Football is a main focus of these changes.
Piracy is another target. The Association for the Protection of Sports Programmes says piracy is common among French football fans.
Out of an estimated 9.9 million football fans in France, most are believed to have watched matches on unauthorized platforms. About one in five Ligue 1 fans reportedly watches games without paying for Ligue 1+ or BeIN Sports.
Supporters of the bill say stronger piracy enforcement is needed. They argue it protects the value of media rights deals that fund clubs and leagues.
Leadership Change at the ANJ
This debate is happening as the ANJ goes through a leadership change. Pascal Chèvremont has taken over as president of the regulator.
He replaces Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, who led the ANJ for five years. During her term, she helped build France’s unified gambling oversight system.
Chèvremont now takes on a full plate of work. This includes shaping future advertising rules for betting companies.
He will also help refine consumer protection rules for both retail and online gambling. Talks about a possible regulated online casino market are expected too.
The Professional Sports Bill is still moving through the legislative process. The final loss limit amount for young bettors has not yet been announced.
