France’s ANJ Rolls Out Responsible Gambling Campaign for RWC

France’s National Gaming Authority (ANJ), an independent administrative body in charge of regulating the betting and gambling sector in the country, announced the launch of a new responsible gambling awareness campaign just in time for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. On Thursday, details regarding the new campaign emerged, revealing that the regulator will seek to promote it via digital outdoor displays and Snapchat.

The new campaign, labeled “Rugby has its codes, so does betting,” seeks to encourage new and seasoned bettors to set limits when engaging in sports wagering. Ultimately, the ANJ calls for good practices that seek to ensure that betting remains a recreational activity.

The campaign encourages bettors to set specific budgets, as well as time and stakes limits and adhere to them. Additionally, the responsible gambling awareness campaign asks bettors not to overestimate their expertise and warns that there’s always chance present in sports.

The betting and gambling regulator confirmed that the images for the new campaign were created by the Rosbeef agency. Previously, the ANJ collaborated with the same agency for the 2022 Football World Cup. Overall, the “Rugby has its codes, so does betting,” seeks to present a simple message: don’t start wagering if you do not know the rules.

Majority of Bettors Plan to Wager on the RWC

The 2023 Rugby World Cup (RWC) officially kicked off on Friday and is scheduled to run through October 28, 2023. The news about the campaign came just in time for the start of the RWC, considering that an increase in betting activities is expected. The ANJ asked the agency Toluna – Harris Interactive to probe the views and intentions of French bettors for the RWC.

Interestingly, close to half of the interviewed sports fans in France confirmed they intend to place a wager on the 2023 RWC, an estimate of 47%. This share of punters marked an increase when compared to the bettors who confirmed their intention to wager on the recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

A breakdown of the collected data revealed that some 45% plan to engage in friendly bets with their family, relatives and friends. On the other hand, a solid 25% of the bettors confirmed they plan to wager real money on the RWC. Among the bettors within the age group between 25 and 34 years old, this percentage increased to 44%. In contrast, only 13% of the French said they do not plan to wager on the RWC.

In 2022, an estimate of €176 million ($189 million) was wagered on rugby, making the sport the fourth most popular in France. Sports that were ahead in the amount wagered include basketball and tennis, while soccer proved to be the sport with the most wagers last year, a total of €4.6 billion ($4.9 billion) or 56% of the stakes.