France’s ANJ issues evidence-first guidance on player fraud for online gambling operators

France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) published a practical guide on 31 August 2026 to help licensed online gambling operators handle suspected player fraud with more consistency and better documentation. It does not create new legal duties, but it does raise the bar on what operators should be able to prove before they restrict an account, wagers, or funds.

1. The ANJ describes the document as a soft-law instrument, not a new statutory regime. It was developed after consultation with licensed operators and discussions with the gaming ombudsman, and it is meant to answer recurring questions about fraud committed by players using online accounts.
2. The main message is simple: suspicion is not enough. The regulator says operators need sufficiently probative elements to establish fraud, and a single technical alert or isolated signal may not justify a major account decision on its own.
3. In practice, the guide pushes operators toward a case-by-case review supported by multiple indicators. Depending on the facts, that can include account activity, connection records, device information, and timing data, which the ANJ says may form “converging indicators” when they point to the same conclusion.
4. The guidance also looks at relevant French case law to show the level of proof that may be expected if an operator’s decision is challenged. That matters because the issue is not just detection; it is whether the operator can document the case well enough to survive regulatory scrutiny or a legal dispute.
5. The guide sets out a non-exhaustive typology of player fraud that includes identity fraud, payment-related fraud, abusive banking repudiation, fraud involving games, “money dumping,” and sporting manipulation. For licensed operators and their PSPs, the useful takeaway is that France is pushing fraud handling away from generic suspicion and toward evidence that can actually be defended.