Report an Illegal Casino Site to ANJ: Procedure and Recourse

You can report an illegal casino site to ANJ by filling out the contact form on anj.fr or by mail. The National Gaming Authority uses this information to update its blacklist and order the administrative blocking of the site with internet service providers. Note that ANJ does not handle financial disputes. If you are a victim of fraud, contact DGCCRF via SignalConso or file a complaint.

How to Report an Illegal Gaming Site to ANJ?

To report an illegal ANJ casino site, you must send the exact URL and screenshots via the dedicated form on the official website of the National Gaming Authority. This action feeds the public blacklist. It allows ANJ to order immediate administrative blocking with internet service providers. The law of March 2, 2022 has accelerated this procedure to better protect players against unapproved offers.

The Reporting Procedure Step by Step

ANJ (National Gaming Authority) is the public regulator of gambling in France. It centralizes reports to identify operators without a license. To effectively report an illegal gaming site, provide precise technical evidence: the complete URL, screenshots showing the absence of the ANJ logo and, if possible, proof of a blocked withdrawal. These elements help analysts characterize the offense. They allow the domain to be listed on the blacklist and trigger the administrative blocking procedure that cuts access to the site from France.

The Role of the Law of March 2, 2022 in Blocking

The law of March 2, 2022 modified the legal arsenal. It gives the President of ANJ the power to directly order ISPs and search engines to block illegal sites, without going through a lengthy judicial procedure. This change has reduced processing times. Judicial blocking took several months, while administrative blocking is done in a few weeks. The device is effective: a significant number of URLs are blocked by administrative act, which shows ANJ's ability to react quickly to mirror sites.

Consulting the Blacklist of Banned Sites

The blacklist is a dynamic register kept by ANJ. It lists gambling sites that have been subject to administrative or judicial blocking. You can consult it publicly on the website of the National Gaming Authority. This list serves as a reference to verify the legality of a platform before depositing money. It is regularly updated to integrate newly reported and confirmed illegal domains. It is an essential verification tool to avoid operators non-compliant with French regulations.

Why Avoid Unlicensed Online Casinos?

Reporting an illegal ANJ casino site is important, but prevention remains the best protection. In France, online casino offering slot machines or roulette is strictly prohibited, unlike sports betting and poker. Playing on an illegal offer exposes the player to major risks: lack of legal recourse, potentially rigged games and increased vulnerability to addiction. Moreover, these unregulated platforms often facilitate money laundering, as they escape the strict financial controls imposed on licensed operators.

Lack of Data Protection and Financial Risks

What are the risks if I play on an illegal site? The first threat concerns the security of your information. On an illegal offer, GDPR compliance is not guaranteed. The National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) is powerless against servers often located offshore. Your banking data may be compromised via phishing or spoofing techniques, which can lead to identity theft.

Furthermore, the lack of financial traceability favors money laundering. These platforms operate outside the French legal framework, allowing opaque financial flows that escape regulatory authorities. Unlike licensed sites, no protection applies in case of dispute or non-payment.

Rigged Games and Lack of RNG Control

How to verify if a casino site is authorized by ANJ? The legality of an online casino is judged by the transparency of its algorithms. Without approval, there is no independent control of the RNG (Random Number Generator) by bodies such as PwC or Evalujeu.fr. Return rates (RTP) are not audited, which means that games may be rigged in favor of the operator.

The integrity of the offer is therefore not guaranteed. You cannot be sure that the results of baccarat, blackjack or slot machines are truly random. This lack of technical certification is a reliable indicator of an illegal platform.

The Impact on Addiction and the Absence of Limits

How to block access to illegal gaming sites? Unlicensed sites ignore addiction prevention obligations. They do not display the Joueur Info Service logo and impose no deposit or play time limits. This lack of safeguards greatly increases the risk of excessive behaviors.

To protect yourself, the only effective measure is voluntary game ban. This personal process, managed by ANJ, bans access to licensed sites and physical locations for a minimum of three years. Although this ban does not technically block illegal sites (which operate outside the law), it constitutes a strong psychological commitment supported by resources such as Joueur Info Service. On an illegal offer, no self-exclusion mechanism is respected by the operator.

What to Do in Case of Dispute or Fraud?

To report an illegal ANJ casino site, it is necessary to distinguish administrative blocking from financial recovery. The National Gaming Authority (ANJ) and the gaming mediator are not competent for disputes with unlicensed operators. In case of proven fraud, you must contact DGCCRF via the signal.conso.gouv.fr platform or file a complaint with law enforcement. Playing on an illegal site exposes you to major fraud risks without guarantee of reimbursement.

Is the ANJ competent for financial disputes?

The answer is no. The ANJ regulates the legal market but does not act as a court to recover funds lost on illicit platforms. The Gaming Mediation Service, an independent body attached to the authority, can only intervene in disputes between a player and an operator holding a French license, such as FDJ, PMU, Winamax, Betclic, or Unibet.

If your dispute concerns an online casino site without a license, the gaming mediator will declare themselves incompetent upon examining admissibility. This distinction is fundamental: the ANJ protects the integrity of the legal offer but cannot compel an entity outside French jurisdiction to refund a player. Attempting to seize the mediator for an illegal site constitutes a waste of administrative time.

Reporting fraud via SignalConso and DGCCRF

When you are a victim of misleading practices or a refusal to pay on an unauthorized site, the appropriate procedure goes through the DGCCRF (General Directorate for Competition, Consumption, and Fraud Repression). You must use the official platform signal.conso.gouv.fr to declare the dispute. This procedure allows state services to identify fraudulent networks and initiate fraud repression actions.

Signal.conso.gouv.fr is the preferred tool for consumer disputes. Cases of established fraud (theft of banking data, repeated abusive withdrawals) require a direct complaint to the gendarmerie or police station. The DGCCRF processes these reports to sanction unfair commercial practices, but it does not have the power to order individual refunds of lost sums. In serious cases involving organized criminal networks, the Ministry of the Interior coordinates police inquiries to dismantle these fraudulent structures.

The role of the Gaming Mediator

The gaming mediator plays a central role in the amicable resolution of conflicts, but its scope of action is strictly limited to operators approved by the ANJ. For a referral to be possible, the operator must have subscribed to the mediation charter, which is not the case for illegal casinos. Consequently, if you have a dispute with an illegal site, the ANJ cannot help you financially.

This legal limitation means that the player is alone facing the fraudulent operator. It is vital to understand that reporting to the ANJ serves to block access to the site (DNS filtering), but does not constitute a legal recourse for compensation. For any questions related to addiction or prevention, resources like Joueur Info Service remain available, but they do not replace legal actions against fraud.

Identifying the legal offer and protecting yourself

To report an illegal ANJ casino site, it is crucial to distinguish the authorized offer from fraudulent platforms. Only operators holding a French license guarantee the security of funds and game fairness. Playing outside this framework exposes you to major financial risks and the absence of legal recourse.

The list of approved operators in France

Player security relies on the systematic verification of the official list of the National Gaming Authority. In France, the legal offer is strictly limited to sports betting, horse racing, and poker. Historical players like FDJ (Française des Jeux) and PMU dominate this regulated sector, offering a state guarantee on payouts. Their status as approved operators means their software is approved and controlled, unlike offshore sites.

Other major players such as Winamax, Betclic, and Unibet are also on this whitelist. These platforms, while known internationally, operate legally in France only for authorized disciplines. Always check their current presence on the ANJ register before registering. The absence of the "approved operator" logo or its fraudulent presence on an unlisted site constitutes an immediate warning signal.

Difference between sports betting and online casino

There is frequent confusion regarding the legality of games. While reporting an illegal ANJ sports betting site form is a common procedure, it must be recalled that online casino (slot machines, roulette) remains prohibited for private operators in France. Only the ANJ license is valid. Foreign licenses like Curaçao or Malta do not protect the French player. Sites offering these games often use opaque payment methods, such as cryptocurrencies, to bypass regulation.

Requesting a voluntary gaming ban

Protection against addiction goes through concrete tools. The voluntary gaming ban is a free and confidential device, accessible via the dedicated ANJ portal. This measure prohibits access to all approved sites (such as Betclic or Unibet) as well as FDJ and PMU games with a player account.

The procedure, validated by dynamic selfie, is effective within a few days and lasts a minimum of three years. It also blocks physical entry into casinos. This personal procedure is essential to regain control, as it cuts access to the entire regulated legal offer, offering an effective technical barrier against compulsivity.

About this article - Authorship & responsibility

Author: Sarah Weber - Casino Tester & Bonus Analyst Verified by: Dr. Markus Hoffmann - Senior iGaming Compliance Analyst Last updated: 2026-07-02.

This article on "reporting an illegal ANJ casino site" was written by Sarah Weber and reviewed by Dr. Markus Hoffmann. Both regularly update the content to reflect regulatory changes, licenses, and bonus terms. All references to licenses, authorities, or legal frameworks refer to public sources (ANJ (National Gaming Authority), Law of May 12, 2010 on the opening of online gambling).

About the author

8+ years of casino testing, 200+ platforms personally tested in the EU and internationally. Former member of the eCOGRA Player Advocacy Program (2018-2022). Specialization: wagering requirements, withdrawal processes, customer support evaluation.

About the reviewer

12+ years in the iGaming industry, including 5 years in compliance consulting for operators licensed under the French ANJ framework. PhD in Economic Mathematics. Fields: bonus mathematics, wager analysis, player protection devices.

Responsible gaming

Gaming can become addictive. If you feel you are losing control, contact Joueurs Info Service, SOS Joueurs, or use the national self-exclusion register (file of gaming bans (FIJ)). Set deposit and loss limits before playing for real money. Breaks and cooldown tools are levers for sustainable enjoyment.

Legal notice

The information in this article is provided for editorial and comparative purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. Players remain responsible for complying with local rules.