French gambling operators are hardening their terms and conditions as they face what the country’s games mediator describes as a sharp rise in identified player fraud.

The 2025 annual report from the Médiateur des jeux, France’s independent gambling dispute-resolution body, says cases involving proven or suspected fraud have “increased considerably” in recent years. The reasons, it says, are twofold: “an increase in the number of fraudulent players and better detection of these frauds by operators.”

The tougher stance is most evident in account closures. In a case study cited by the mediator, players challenged the closure of their accounts after being accused of conduct such as account sharing or the coordinated use of several accounts. Before closing accounts, some operators deducted “up to 50 per cent of the balance” as incident fees, while the remainder was often placed in reserve.

“Faced with this resurgence, some operators have changed their terms and conditions and now deduct significant sums,” the report says. The mediator does not rule on whether such clauses are lawful. But where operators provide evidence of fraud, the mediator generally treats the deductions and reserve measures as consistent with the operator’s terms.

For players, that can mean being denied access to the full basis for the operator’s suspicion. According to the report, most operators do submit evidence to the mediator, but “for reasons of confidentiality and in order not to compromise their fraud-fighting systems, the mediator cannot reveal some of these elements to players.”
 

Fraud, fairness and the limits of mediation

The tightening of rules comes as France’s gambling regulator, the Autorité Nationale des Jeux, prepares clearer guidance on fraud. In her message opening the report, ANJ president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin refers to “the clarification of rules on fraud, which will lead before the summer to the development of a guide to good practices that operators had called for.”

The report also shows how quickly gambling disputes are reaching the mediation system. Requests to the mediator rose 20 per cent in 2025, from 1,541 to 1,856. Of the admissible cases, sports betting (one of the few online gambling verticals regulated in France) made up the overwhelming majority, with many complaints involving account management: blocked accounts, closures and difficulties withdrawing funds.

For the mediator, Jérôme Gallot, the rise in fraud cases leaves little room for sympathy where deception is established. “I therefore firmly invite players to give up any fraud because, not only will it not be favourable to them, but, in addition, it may heavily penalise them,” he writes. “In the event of fraud, deposits and losses are generally not reimbursed, and the balance may be placed in reserve.”

The question for the industry is whether stronger fraud controls can coexist with fair treatment of customers. That was also the theme of a SiGMA Europe panel on alternative dispute resolution, where industry figures argued that ADR should not be seen as anti-operator.

“What we’re talking about is a framework that protects players, and in some cases operators, to ensure that before reaching a serious legal dispute, there is an intermediary,” said Oliver De Bono, CEO of Quantum Gaming.

Duncan Garvie, then head of ADR services for an operator, made a similar point. “We need to build trust with players by facilitating an easier route to managing friction,” he said.

In France, that friction is now centred on fraud. Operators want tools strong enough to stop abuse. Players want proof when their money is withheld. The mediator sits between the two, asking operators for detailed explanations while warning players that shared accounts, false documents, and attempts to bypass bans can result in closed accounts and frozen balances.

 

 

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#France #Regulation #Compliance #FraudPrevention #PlayerProtection #GamingIndustry