France Raises Evidence Standards In Gambling Fraud Cases

France’s gambling regulator has issued new guidance aimed at clarifying how licensed operators should handle suspected player fraud cases, with a focus on the evidence required before account restrictions or payment decisions are made.

The Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ) published its fraud guide on August 31 following discussions with licensed gambling operators and the gambling mediator. The document serves as a soft-law measure, meaning it does not create additional legal obligations. Instead, it provides direction on recurring issues faced by operators and explains how existing rules should be applied.

The guidance highlights the difference between a suspicion of fraudulent activity and fraud that has been demonstrated through evidence. According to the ANJ, operators must collect sufficient proof before making decisions that affect a player’s funds.

The regulator stated: “Characterising fraud requires the collection of probative evidence, and the operator cannot refuse to pay a win or return part or all of an account balance on the basis of mere suspicions, without undermining the binding force of the gambling contract.”

The document addresses several types of online gambling fraud, including identity-related fraud, payment fraud, abusive chargebacks, game manipulation and money dumping. While these examples cover common situations, the ANJ noted that the list does not include every possible form of fraudulent behavior.

Operators Must Link Account Measures To Confirmed Fraud

When evidence confirms fraudulent conduct, the guidance recommends that operators close the affected account. Cases involving intentional use of multiple accounts may result in the closure of all accounts connected to the same player, including an account registered under the individual’s real identity.

The ANJ also separates account closure decisions from the handling of remaining funds. Financial outcomes depend on the specific circumstances of each case and the evidence available to the operator.

For identity fraud cases, French law allows an operator to keep a balance in reserve when it cannot confirm that the receiving bank account belongs to the player. In other situations, operators may need to return funds that cannot be linked to fraudulent activity.

The regulator included examples from court decisions to demonstrate how evidence can influence disputes between gambling companies and customers. These cases show that operators must provide detailed records when defending actions taken against accounts or winnings.

In July 2025, the Paris Judicial Court found that Winamax had not provided enough evidence to prove fraud involving five bets. The ruling required the operator to pay more than €402,000 connected to those bets and return €218.68 that remained in the customer’s account.

A separate case involving Betclic reached a different outcome in February 2026. The Paris Court of Appeal reviewed evidence including a shared IP address, a shared terminal and 35 similar bets placed during the same days, with most wagers submitted less than five minutes apart. A judicial officer confirmed that the records originated from Betclic’s systems and had not been altered.

The court accepted the evidence supporting the account closure while ordering the operator to return €32,785.30.

Verification Issues Continue To Receive Regulatory Attention

The ANJ’s guidance comes as account verification remains a wider concern for gambling regulators. France’s gambling mediator handled 1,856 requests during 2025, representing a 20% increase compared with the previous year.

Sports betting accounted for 91.5% of admissible cases, while 42.4% of cases involved account management issues.

The focus on customer verification has also appeared in other regulated markets. In the United Kingdom, the Gambling Commission reminded remote gambling operators on August 12 to complete identity checks “as early as practicable” after identifying cases where customers had registered with incomplete or inaccurate information.

The British regulator reported that more than a quarter of complaints received through its contact centre relate to identity verification.

For French operators, the ANJ guidance provides further direction on how fraud investigations should be supported with evidence before account decisions are made. For customers, the standard applied during these investigations can determine whether winnings and remaining balances are released during disputes.

Source:

France Clarifies Evidence Rules for Gambling Fraud, LCB.org, September 2, 2026