In France, since 2010, only bets on certain sports competitions and on certain types of results or phases of the game can be offered as legal sports betting. On 21 December 2023, the ANJ college decided to review this sports list, with the aim of facilitating its readability, strengthening its coherence and updating it. This review was guided by the search for a balance between the expectations of bettors and operators and the prevention of the risk of sports manipulation

The list of authorized betting media, or “sports list”, regulates the offer of sports betting authorized by the French Gaming Authority (ANJ). The purpose of the “sports list” is to:

• Prevent sports manipulation;
• Prohibit bets that do not involve bettors' know-how and sporting knowledge (color of a player's socks, odd or even number of goals), as long as the subject of the bet should have a sports episode;
• Restrict betting to certain competitions.

The list consists of two parts, each of which is the subject of the redesign:

• competitions or sporting events permitted as betting vehicles;
• the types of results and phases of play relating to such competitions or events

Why the update?

Since 2010 the "list of sports" has been regularly modified, a complete rewriting was therefore necessary based on extensive consultation with all interested parties: the Sports Directorate of the Ministry of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the delegated federations and the professional leagues involved, as well as all sports betting operators.

Changes relating to the list of competitions and sporting events authorized for betting

Some sporting events have been removed from the list, either because they no longer exist, or because they no longer meet the legal criteria for inclusion in the list because they lack stakes or notoriety (top-level Armenian football championship), or they risk fueling manipulations (Tunisian top-level football championship). A total of 179 contests have been removed from the list, which now includes 772 competitions.

In particular, only the Division 1 final was admitted (March Madness) of the American university basketball championship organized by National Collegiate Athelic Association (NCCA). This restriction responds to the need to reconcile the attractiveness of the French sports betting offer with the necessary prevention of the risks of manipulation observed in this championship, risks which have been amplified recently.

On the other hand, some restrictions that no longer seemed justified have been lifted. This is the case of the restriction to the notion of a match without stakes, which has been removed in football, basketball, handball, golf and tennis. Furthermore, all friendly matches of the French men's football and rugby teams can now be bet on, regardless of the ranking of the teams they face.

Changes relating to the list of outcome types and game phases that can be used as betting vehicles

This part of the list has been significantly modified to make it easier for operators to implement and comply with it. The many types of results that existed until now, which were sometimes difficult to understand and articulate with each other, have been brought together into more general types of results. However, this new, more concise wording does not lead to a reduction in the number of bets that have been allowed until now, but rather places them into broader categories.

Two other developments should also be noted. In basketball, betting will now be able to focus on the number of points scored by a player, even if less than 20, with the restriction expressed by the result type “Player(s) scoring 20 points or more” disappearing. In tennis, the ban on handicap betting has been abolished.

Bets must always be on an event with sporting stakes for the competitors, bets on negative actions remain prohibited, bets must continue to be executed according to the first announcement of the results proclaimed by the organizer.

The new sports list will come into force on March 1, 2024. An evaluation will be carried out at the end of the year in consultation with all interested parties.