ODJ Survey Reveals France’s Gambling Activity Declines, Problem Gambling Rises

The latest survey by Observatoire des jeux (ODJ), the regulating body that monitors the gambling activity of France, has revealed that gambling activity in the country is declining, but the cases of problem gambling rise.

Problem gambling is one of the biggest setbacks of the gambling industry. Protocols that ensure that players are protected from themselves are required for every company before approval of their licenses.

The decline in gambling activity for a country could mean two things. First, the country gets lesser revenue from the industry. And it also means that fewer people are attracted to gambling which means more money for their families.

ODJ reported that 47.2% of the ten thousand respondents are engaged in some gambling last year, a decline from the 2014 survey’s 57.2%.

The report also showed that the country’s excessive gambling activity doubled from 0.8% in 2014 to 1.6% in 2019. Gamblers at risk of becoming problem gamblers rose from 3.8% in 2014 to 4.4% last year.

The regulating body concluded that around 370 thousand French adults are problem gamblers, while about 1 million are at risk of becoming one. ODJ also claimed that 6% of spending on problem gamblers and those at risk of becoming one contributed 38.3% of all gambling spending in 2019.

The survey also revealed that lottery games lead France’s gambling activity, but problem gambling among lottery players remained low at nearly 1%. The report revealed that lottery scratch games are twice more addictive than traditional draw games. Poker and casino players are four times more prone to problem gambling compared to lotteries, while sports and race betting is six times more addictive.