France Rejects Gambling Advertising Ban in Sports Bill but Advances Youth Loss Limits

French lawmakers have rejected an amendment that would have imposed a whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling advertising and barred operators from sponsoring sports federations and clubs. The move came during debates on a professional sports bill at the Assemblée nationale ahead of the summer recess, as reported by SBC News. The bill instead focuses on modernising oversight of sports leagues, introducing new governance for professional football, and strengthening enforcement against audiovisual piracy.

Nearly 60% of France’s estimated 9.9 million football fans watch matches via illegal streaming platforms, according to the Association for the Protection of Sports Programmes. The legislation also paves the way for mandatory loss limits aimed at 18-to-25 year olds. If passed, France would become only the second regulated market in Europe after the Netherlands to set such youth-specific limits for young adult consumers aged under 24. The Autorité Nationale des Jeux would gain powers to increase the number of games moderators and supervise player loss levels.

Financial Pressures on Professional Sports

The bill seeks to bolster long-term financial sustainability for professional sports bodies. Leading football clubs have faced uncertainties from broadcasters and commercial partners, including the Mediapro collapse around 2020, DAZN’s uncertain 2024 entry, and the subsequent launch of Ligue 1+ in 2025. Gambling-related funding remains a key issue. Rejecting the advertising ban, rapporteur Belkhir Belhaddad told MPs: “Whether you like them or not, sports betting companies are a genuinely useful source of funding for the sporting world at a time when money is hard to find.”

Political Divides and Regulatory Outlook

The rejected measures echo the early 1990s Évin law on alcohol and tobacco advertising. The Autorité Nationale des Jeux backed the ban and lamented its rejection in a post-World Cup report. French political parties split along ideological lines, with left-wing groups viewing the sector as “a tax on the poor” and right-wing parties taking a more pragmatic stance. Discussions will intensify with 2027 presidential elections approaching and Budget talks due to begin in September. The new ANJ president, Pascal Chèvremont, has stated that existing advertising regulations are robust enough and that changes are for lawmakers to decide.

What This Means for the 2027 Cycle

The coming parliamentary and budgetary debates will test whether France can balance sports financing needs against hardening attitudes toward gambling harms. Operators and regulators alike must track how these tensions resolve before the presidential contest, as the current pragmatic rejection of broader bans may not hold under shifting political pressures.

Reporting: SBC News

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