French gambling regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) ordered sports betting and online poker operator Winamax to take down its marketing campaign, “Tout pour la Daronne,” because it violates national advertising laws.
ANJ said the campaign suggested sports betting could help build personal success and increase social status by showing how a man improved his own and his mother’s lives after winning money from a sports bet. It’s the first time ANJ required an operator to halt an ad.
In November 2020, the French government issued a decree barring operators from portraying gambling as improving a player’s life in ads or marketing materials. In regard to Winamax, ANJ cited Article D. 320-9, 2 of the code, which states “any commercial communication in favor of a gambling operator is prohibited when it suggests gambling contributes to social success.”
In other words, ANJ said, operators must not associate gambling with the possibility of a player changing their social status, having extraordinary experiences or accessing services usually associated with wealthy people.
ANJ ordered all material associated with the Winamax campaign be withdrawn within one month of the March 17 ruling.
