ANJ of France has appointed Sophie Namer to lead a new crackdown unit. She is also pushing for whistle-to-whistle advertising bans ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
France’s gambling regulator has stepped up enforcement by appointing Sophie Namer to lead its new Directorate of Enforcement. On July 11, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux created the department to strengthen enforcement efforts and combat illegal gambling across the country.
Namer, an administrative magistrate, brings six years of experience from the Administrative Courts of Limoges and Toulouse, where she served as both rapporteur and public rapporteur. She will work with deputy director Jérôme Labarbe to target unlicensed operators exploiting gaps in French gambling regulation.
Here are the key gambling regulation developments:
- A new enforcement department now targets illegal gambling operations.
- A whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling advertisements has been proposed for the World Cup.
- The regulator created a data and innovation department to monitor gambling markets.
- Pauline Hot has replaced the long-serving director general at ANJ.
The appointment of Sophie Namer signals France will escalate action against operators who break gambling laws.
The ANJ restructured its entire organization to put gambling enforcement at the center of everything it does. Background of Sophie Namer as an administrative magistrate shows the French gambling regulator wants someone who understands how to use legal tools effectively against illegal gambling operations.
The timing couldn’t be better. Gambling market research in France shows that illegal operators generated between €748 million and €1.5 billion in tax-free revenue in early 2023. While offering no player protection or responsible gambling tools, these criminals steal customers from licensed operators.
Pauline Hot, ANJ president replaced Rémi Latastem in July. This is after five years in charge. Hot recently served as deputy director general since January. She brings experience from the Council of State. There, she worked as a rapporteur in both litigation and administrative sections.
