Gaming Disputes in France: Mediation Requests on the Rise

The French National Gaming Authority, the ANJ – Autorité Nationale des Jeux – has published the latest data regarding the requests received by gamblers to access the mediation process due to disputes with gaming operators.

In 2023, the gaming mediator received 1,523 requests, with an 11% increase compared to 2022, the vast majority of which, 91, represented by sports betting.

Mainly, the disputes concerned the result or canc@ts or issues related to the management of player accounts such as blocking, closure, difficulty to withdraw funds.

Almost half of the requests were declared inadmissible due to the lack f a prior written complaint to the operators.

On average the process took 31 days, well below the maximum amount of time of 90 days set in the Consumer Code. Around a third of requests received partial or total satisfaction.

Mediation is a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution – ADR – which is a ways to resolve disputes between consumers and gambling operators without going to court. This can make it easier for consumers to get help to resolve a dispute they have with a business. It also helps to reduce costs for both parties to a dispute and can reduce the length of time it takes for a dispute to be resolved.

In particular, mediation, consists of an independent third party that helps the parties in dispute to reach a solution they all agree on, unlike adjudication, where an independent third party looks at the facts and information from both parties in dispute and uses this to decide.

It is worth noting that European Alternative Dispute Resolution (EADR) Ltd., an independent arbitration service, offers alternative dispute resolution and is designed to comply with the "Consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution (General) Regulations" (S.L.378.18) in Malta. In addition, the MGA Alternative Dispute Resolution Directive 2018 applies to gaming disputes.

The EADR Ltd. currently handles disputes throughout Europe in English and German, and is committed to resolving disputes in a timely and efficient manner so that both the operator and the consumer are satisfied.?

Interested in a chat about the general gaming compliance in France or other jurisdictions? Speak to Lawrence Marchese ([email protected]), Kurt Laferla ([email protected]) from Chevron Group. If you are looking for Alternative Dispute Resolution option in Europe, contact EADR at [email protected] or talk directly to Ursula Bessa Marinho ([email protected]) and Thees Buschmann ([email protected]).