World Cup betting ads could face a match-time ban in France as the Assemblée Nationale prepares to examine a draft bill on June 29, Le Monde reported.
The bill comes as online betting ads have spread across television and digital platforms during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Operators raised their 2026 advertising budgets by 25% ahead of the tournament, according to the French National Gambling Authority, known in French as Autorité Nationale des Jeux.
A Toluna-Harris Interactive study commissioned by the ANJ projected bets during the competition at €1.2 billion in France, up from €900 million in 2022. The study found that 54% of World Cup bettors were under 35.
The regulator has warned of rising gambling risks. An ANJ algorithm used in the second half of 2025 found about 300,000 bettors with a strong likelihood of having lost control over their gambling, according to Le Monde.
The ANJ fined Unibet €800,000 in March 2025 for failing to provide enough support to a player with a gambling addiction.
The authority now offers its risk-detection tool to operators, who must identify and support at-risk gamblers under French law.
Read: Elye Wahi Investigation Opened Over Yellow Card Bets
Pascal Chèvremont was appointed head of the French National Gambling Authority on June 18, as outgoing ANJ president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin warned that constant media exposure had helped make gambling appear like an everyday consumer product.
Le Monde reported that the proposed rules include a whistle-to-whistle ad ban during matches, tighter controls on advertising channels and limits on promotions such as bonuses.
