KYC in iGaming and online betting: ANJ, age verification, anti-money-laundering

The ANJ (Autorité Nationale des Jeux, the French regulator for online gambling) was created by the law of May 24, 2019 and has been operational since 2020. It replaced ARJEL and broadened its scope: online sports betting, horse-race betting, online poker, and also Française des Jeux and PMU in their physical networks. It is the single regulator on the French market.

Operators authorized by the ANJ are subject to licensing, ongoing supervision, quarterly reporting and graduated sanctions in case of breach. Non-authorized operators offering services in France are blocked by injunction to internet service providers (ISPs).

French iGaming revenue breaks down as follows:

• Sports betting: ~60% of the market
• Poker: ~20%
• Horse-race betting: ~15%
• Other authorized games: ~5%

::: callout-info In brief

• ANJ created in 2020 (law of May 24, 2019)
• EUR 13.4B in GGR in 2024 in France
• 4.4M active accounts
• 3 parallel KYC chains: age verification, AML/CFT (anti-money-laundering and counter-financing of terrorism), problem-gambling prevention

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Age verification is the most emblematic and strict requirement of the sector. The principle:

• 18 years minimum on every ANJ-licensed operator
• Mandatory verification before any deposit or first wager
• Enhanced verification on sensitive events (payment-method change, high deposit)
• Operator sanctions tightened since 2024 in case of established non-compliance

The French standard aligns with European peers:

• UKGC (United Kingdom): verification before any deposit, European benchmark
• MGA (Malta): full KYC and enhanced due diligence (EDD) on all players
• DGOJ (Spain): strict 18+, national self-exclusion register
• Spelinspektionen (Sweden): strict 18+, automatic deposit limits

The technical architecture relies on two levels:

Level 1 — Declarative verification and cross-checking. The player declares their date of birth, the operator cross-checks against a transactional or government source (registries, banking data). This level fits most sign-ups.

Level 2 — Enhanced verification via eIDV or document. For risk profiles (inconsistencies, high deposits, atypical behavior), enhanced verification is triggered via eIDV (electronic identity verification) or a scanned ID document.

Transactional-data eIDV absorbs most verifications with no friction, only raising the diligence level on residual-risk profiles.

iGaming operators have been subject to AML/CFT (anti-money-laundering and counter-financing of terrorism) since the 2010 law (article L561-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code). Tracfin (the French financial intelligence unit) recorded a +18% rise in suspicious-activity reports for the iGaming sector in 2024. Three specific vigilance axes apply:

• Source of funds: unusual deposits, multiple payment methods, accounts based abroad
• Atypical patterns: high deposits followed by rapid withdrawals with no real wagering
• Linked accounts: identification of links between multiple accounts of the same beneficial owner

Beneficial-owner identification applies to corporate accounts (companies, structures), with screening of politically exposed persons (PEPs) and international sanctions (EU, OFAC, UN).

::: callout-warning Watch out iGaming AML/CFT scoring must integrate the typology of betting: unusual sports bets (high odds, minor events), poker with transfers between accounts, deposits without wagering followed by withdrawals. Detection is automated but must rely on rules parameterized by game type. :::

The ANJ imposes a structured problem-gambling prevention framework:

• Automatic deposit limits proposed at sign-up
• Temporary or permanent self-exclusion by the player
• Court-ordered gambling ban (ANJ register)
• Behavioral moderation through alert detection (abnormal deposit variations, atypical playing hours)
• Enhanced information on addiction risks

The ANJ register of excluded players must be consulted before every sign-up and at regulated intervals across the active-account base. Failure to consult is directly sanctionable.

The articulation with the GDPR (the EU's personal data law) is delicate: the ANJ register is a specific legal basis (legal obligation), with a defined purpose and transparent information to the player at sign-up.

A high-performing iGaming KYC architecture combines five synchronized technical building blocks:

Typical chain at sign-up:

1. Player input (civil status, date of birth, address) 2. Automated age eIDV (response < 2 seconds) 3. Standard identity eIDV (response < 5 seconds) 4. ANJ register check and sanctions screening 5. Account activation or escalation to enhanced diligence

iGaming mobile conversion lives or dies on the fluidity of the KYC step. Depending on funnel smoothness, the conversion rate between initial sign-up and first effective deposit ranges from 35% to 60%. The concrete levers:

• Pre-fill via data-driven eIDV (the user does not re-enter their civil status)
• Back-office verification without scanning a document in most cases
• Reserve enhanced verification for residual-risk profiles
• Activation time under 90 seconds for 80% of cases

This is precisely where transactional-data eIDV changes the game: it absorbs the majority of 18+ and identity checks without interrupting the journey, escalating to biometrics or document only on residual risk.

::: callout-success Modeled use case: European sports-betting operator On 5 million monthly verifications modeled, introducing a data-driven eIDV as the first line maintained a sign-up to deposit conversion rate of 89% while absorbing all 18+ requirements, basic AML/CFT and sanctions screening, with an average activation time under 90 seconds for 76% of players. :::

The ANJ has a graduated arsenal of sanctions:

• Public warning and formal notice
• Financial sanctions (up to 3% of annual turnover, 5% in case of repeat offense)
• Temporary suspension of the license
• Permanent withdrawal of the license
• Public disclosure of the sanction

Beyond the number, a license withdrawal triggers immediate blocking of the platform by French ISPs and liquidation of customer commitments under escrow. The reputational impact on the operator group lasts well beyond the formal sanction.

The iGaming sector combines three constraints that few industries carry simultaneously:

• Massive international onboarding volumes (often several hundred thousand accounts per month for major operators)
• Extreme sensitivity to activation time (a player who waits loses the impulse for the first wager)
• Multi-layer compliance (age, AML/CFT, problem-gambling prevention, exclusions)

We answer all three at once with a transactional-data eIDV approach:

• International transactional sources (4,000 sources, 197 countries)
• Frictionless onboarding on most profiles
• 18+, sanctions and PEP screening integrated
• Complementarity with biometrics on residual risk

You benefit from iGaming coverage extended across the 197 source countries of players, articulating data and biometrics according to the criticality of each profile.

::: cta-final Audit your iGaming KYC architecture and identify fluidity levers? Our free audit clarifies in one hour your ANJ compliance, your AML/CFT framework, your mobile friction, and the eIDV strategy suited to your volumes. Talk to our experts :::

• KYC pillar — Know Your Customer
• eIDV pillar — Electronic Identity Verification
• KYC/eIDV regulation in France
• E-commerce KYC
• How to implement a KYC framework
• The cost of a KYC solution