- Status
- Judgment entered (judgment)
- As of
- 11 Feb 2025 · read from the court record
- Court
- Conseil d'État, 5e-6e chambres réunies · Supreme or high court
- Docket
- 489680; 489681, 489682, 489683
- Judge
- Ségolène Cavaliere (rapporteure); Maxime Boutron (rapporteur public)
- Filed
- 2023
- Type
- Operator v. regulator, advertising and marketing lawsuits
- Money
- No settlement fund or award on record
- Payout
- No payout exists as of 14 Nov 2026
Status words follow the court record: a complaint states one side's allegations, only the court's orders decide anything. Filing a settlement claim is always free.
What this case is about
The lottery monopoly challenged the conditions the ANJ attached to its 2024 game programme (stabilising certain scratch-card ranges, modifying or withdrawing the most excessive games, limits on Olympic-themed promotion) and the ban on advertising that refers to the good causes funded by the games (heritage, nature). The Conseil d'État rejected all requests on 11 February 2025: the restrictions are proportionate to the objective of preventing excessive gambling, the ANJ could lawfully prohibit 'good cause' advertising, and its approval decisions need no formal reasoning. The rulings settle the ANJ's authority over the monopolies' commercial strategy.
What this case is about
The Conseil d'État (5e-6e chambres réunies) rejected La Française des jeux's challenges to the gambling regulator's decisions on 11 February 2025 (nos. 489680, 489681, 489682 and 489683). The lottery monopoly (LFDJ) had gone to court in 2023 against the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ).
It is one of the advertising and marketing lawsuits on how far a regulator may shape an operator's promotion. The claims rested on Code de la sécurité intérieure art. L. 320-3 (prevention of excessive gambling).
Who is covered
This is not a class action. The parties are LFDJ and the ANJ. The ruling covers the monopoly operators' commercial strategy and the regulator's powers over it, and it does not decide any player's claim.
The regulator's other disputes are listed on the Autorité nationale des jeux page.
Is there a payout?
No payout exists in this case. It is a challenge by an operator to a regulator's decisions, and the record shows no fund, no damages and no claim process.
What the court decided
LFDJ challenged ANJ conditions on its 2024 game programme (decision 2023-165 of 22 June 2023). These stabilised certain scratch-card ranges, required modifying or withdrawing the most excessive games, and limited Olympic-themed promotion.
It also challenged ANJ decisions on its 2023 promotional strategy (2023-163 and 2023-200) and the ban on advertising that refers to the good causes funded by the games, called Mission Patrimoine and Mission nature (2023-158, 2023-166).
On 11 February 2025 the Conseil d'État rejected all requests. It held the restrictions proportionate to the objective of preventing excessive gambling and found that the ANJ could lawfully prohibit "good cause" advertising. It also held that the ANJ's approval decisions need no formal reasoning.
As of 14 November 2026 the rulings are final at the highest administrative court, and the record lists no open items. The ANJ published its own release on 14 February 2025.
Why it matters
The rulings settle the ANJ's authority over the monopolies' commercial strategy, from which games are offered to how they are promoted. Operators cannot treat references to good causes as a safe advertising theme if the regulator bans them.
Within Gambling Lawsuits in France, this sits beside the other challenges to the regulator. For the wider group of cases, see Advertising and Marketing Lawsuits Against Gambling Operators.
Questions people ask
Can the ANJ restrict FDJ's scratch cards?
Yes. The Conseil d'État held the ANJ's conditions on the 2024 game programme proportionate to preventing excessive gambling and rejected LFDJ's request.
Can the ANJ ban advertising that mentions good causes?
According to the ruling, yes. The Conseil d'État found that the ANJ could lawfully prohibit "good cause" advertising for the games, such as the heritage and nature missions.
Must the ANJ give reasons for approving a game programme?
No. The court held that the ANJ's approval decisions need no formal reasoning.
Related cases
- The Betting and Gaming Council c/ Premier ministre et La Française des jeux: the challenge to the privatisation decrees and 25-year exclusive rights, status judgment.
- AFJEL c/ ARJEL / ANJ (code de la consommation): the online gambling association's challenge to a regulator decision, status judgment.
Who is involved
Plaintiffs: La Française des jeux (LFDJ)
| Defendants | Autorité nationale des jeux |
|---|---|
| Judge | Ségolène Cavaliere (rapporteure); Maxime Boutron (rapporteur public) |
| Claims |
|
Is there a payout?
No payout exists in this case as of 14 Nov 2026.
What happens next
No future date is on the record we hold. The case is closed on the record we hold; later appeals or enforcement steps would be added here.
Timeline
2 dated steps on record, oldest first. Future dates come from court notices and can move.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Filed |
| 11 Feb 2025 | Judgment entered |
Documents and sources
3 primary sources (court file, administrator notice, regulator) and 0 secondary. Press is supporting evidence only.
- Docket: conseil-etat.fr
- Court document: conseil-etat.fr
- Regulator: anj.fr
| What it supports | Source | Type | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| CE n° 489680: requête de LFDJ rejetée (programme 2024, décision ANJ 2023-165); CE n° 489680, 11 Feb 2025, 5e-6e ch. réunies, Stahl / Cavaliere / Boutron, LFDJ v. ANJ decision 2023-165 of 22 June 2023 (programme 2024), requête rejetée, no costs; CE n° 489681-489683 same day (https://www.conseil-etat.fr/fr/arianeweb/CE/decision/2025-02-11/489681): ANJ decisions 2023-163 of 25 May 2023 and 2023-200 of 21 Sept 2023 (promotional strategy), 2023-166 of 22 June 2023 and 2023-201 (Mission nature), 2023-158 of 25 May 2023 and 2023-198 (Mission Patrimoine); 'Les requêtes de la société La Française des j | conseil-etat.fr | primary | 14 Nov 2026 |
| CE n° 489681-489683: requêtes rejetées; ANJ could lawfully ban reference to good causes | conseil-etat.fr | primary | 14 Nov 2026 |
| ANJ release 14 Feb 2025 | anj.fr | primary | 14 Nov 2026 |
Related cases
2 cases in the record share parties, claims or a settlement with this one.
| Case | Court | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FDJ monopoly and EUR 380m exclusive-rights payment upheld by the Conseil d'État | Conseil d'État, 5e-6e chambres réunies | Judgment entered |
| Conseil d'État: consumer law applies to online gambling and the ANJ can enforce it | Conseil d'État, 5e-6e chambres réunies | Judgment entered |
Last checked against the sources on 14 Nov 2026. Found an error? Tell us and we correct the record with a dated note.