La Française des Jeux (FDJ) has recruited Eric Cantonato promote new retail and online upgrades to the ParionsSport betting network across France.

Last week, FDJ debuted “King Eric”, the new nationwide advertising campaign from ParionsSport – the operating company behind France’s exclusive point‐of‐sale betting network.

Developed by creative agency ROSA Paris, the campaign sees French and Premier League football legend Cantona playing the role of a ParionsSport merchant.

In his role as a merchant, the former Manchester United captain explains to patrons the new omnichannel upgrades to Loto Foot products, instant payments and responsible gambling tools.

As detailed in the campaign notes: “Eric represents one of the 27,000 merchant partners of ParionsSport point of sale, present across the entire country.

“His shop is the setting for social connection and sharing with customers. Eric Cantona participates in everyday scenes filled with humour and self-deprecation, focusing on responsible gambling, Loto Foot, and human contact.”

ROSA Paris is developing a fifth advert as part of the “King Eric” campaign that will feature betting partner Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) club legend Pedro Pauleta, who will play a role in the advertising series.

The ParionsSport upgrades were delivered in 2024, resulting in improved cross-selling opportunities, the integration of FDJ’s proprietary payments system, and the introduction of new French horseracing markets.

Moving forward, FDJ views sports betting as an intrinsic growth channel for its business. The ParionsSport online offering will be enhanced by its alignment with new solutions applied to Kindred Group – a record-breaking €2.4bn M&A completed in October 2024.

FDJ is set to publish its full-year financial results on 6 March 2024, which will include a breakdown of Kindred Group’s results.

This February, FDJ announced that it had begun planning a multi-year strategy to offset the anticipated rise in French gambling tax across all gambling activities.

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