With Euro 2024 in full swing and the Paris Olympic Games just around the corner, the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression (DGCCRF) and National Games Authority (ANJ) have implored gamblers to remain vigilant this summer. 

The two organisations have stepped up their efforts in the battle against unhealthy gambling practices amidst a very busy summer of sports in the nation. A call for customers to take extra care when it comes to social network promotions has been sent out by the collaborating regulatory bodies. 

Furthermore, the DGCCRF has urged that players exercise extreme caution when interacting with certain sports betting advice organisations known as tipsters. Prolific on social media, tipsters are also often endorsed by influencers who will promote their content by making false promises of high wins.  

A study conducted by the DGCCRF and ANJ in 2020 and 2021 focused on the integrity and fairness of the online gambling sector. Of the 11 participating sites, 45% stated that the use of tipsters can increase a player’s chance of winning. Subsequently, four tipsters were then subject to criminal reports.  

As outlined by the DGCCRF and ANJ, any promotional tools that imply an increased chance of winning are misleading and not to be trusted.   

Similarly, in the Netherlands, the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), declared that an enhanced focus would be placed on operators over the summer with regard to prevention, supervision and enforcement measures relating to sports betting. Furthermore, the Joint Gambling Authority of the German States (GGL) also sent out a warning against illegal betting during the Euros earlier this month.