The French gambling regulator, Autorité Nationale Des Jeux (ANJ), has called on sports betting operators to stick within the bounds of their stated promotional budgets around this Summer's World Cup.
There are concerns that the customer acquisition and revenue opportunities presented by the tournament – which features more games than ever before – will encourage operators to overspend on marketing.
In light of data cited by the ANJ that 18% of 18–24-year-olds gambled in 2024, it is thought that this potential overspend could lead to excessive gambling advertising.
As well as having a record number of games, the tournament will take place over a longer period than ever, and due to the intense summer heat of some of the venues, FIFA will be allowing ‘hydration breaks’ during every game.
These two-minute breaks in play introduce additional advertising breaks, which have reinforced the ANJ’s fears of overexposure.
Discussions have taken place between the ANJ and ADMTV, the body which represents the advertising sales houses of TV broadcasters and streaming services.
In these talks, the ADMTV informed the gambling authority that one major broadcaster had taken the decision not to sell the two-minute water breaks to advertisers.
Picking up from this example, the ANJ has now publicly urged all stakeholders – including operators and broadcasters – to ‘exercise restraint.’
The authority has also suggested that in future, a whistle-to-whistle advertising ban ought to be implemented for major sporting events.
A whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling advertising has been widely adopted on a voluntary basis in the UK
