French regulator bans online poker bonuses during coronavirus pandemic
Operators will soon be instructed to give players the chance to set time limits on online poker play
French gambling regulator ARJEL has banned operators from offering online poker bonuses to players during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.
In a guidance note, ARJEL claimed it had observed a “significant increase” in new online poker players occurring over several weeks, buoyed in part by France’s restrictions on movement.
“As such, operators should not multiply incentives to gambling by bonuses. Moreover, they must be particularly vigilant with players whose behaviour could reveal a loss of control and approach them to provide them with prevention advice,” ARJEL wrote.
To counter this rise, the regulator has highlighted existing operator deposit limits as well as a player’s ability to self-exclude in a new banner advertisement to be featured on licensed operator sites.
The advertisement highlights responsible gambling tools and questions for players
In addition, ARJEL confirmed the ability to set time limits on online poker play will soon be implemented by all licensed operators.
ARJEL has also warned French players not to gamble via unlicensed online casino sites targeting the French market, singling out online slots games as being the “most addictive” games available to players.
French online poker sites operate shared liquidity pools with other sites operating in Spain and Portugal.
In the case of Spain, the Spanish regulator recently introduced a wide-ranging gambling advertising ban as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.