French study: 39% of 15–17s play gambling-style games

Four in ten French teenagers aged 15 to 17 (39.0%) played at least one game that mixes video-game and gambling mechanics, according to a study published by France's gambling regulator, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), on 19 October 2026. The survey, ENJEU-Mineurs 2025, was run by the research and prevention association ARPEJ in partnership with the ANJ.

The ANJ's release puts the 39.0% over the 12 months before the survey; the full ARPEJ report gives the window as the three months before it.

What counts as a "hybrid" game

The study calls these games *jeux numériques hybrides*, or hybrid digital games. It groups six kinds: social casino apps, free demo versions of gambling games, video games with casino-style features such as spinning wheels or slot machines, video games with loot boxes, fantasy sports, and Web3 or play-to-earn games. Credits won in social casinos and free demo games cannot be turned into real money, although several of these games let players spend it.

The most common were video games with casino elements (26.3% of all 15- to 17-year-olds), free demo games on casino sites and apps (18.1%) and social casinos (16.6%). Boys were more likely to play than girls, at 42.4% against 35.4%.

The demo figure stands out. In France, online casino games other than poker are not legal, as the ARPEJ report itself notes, yet almost one in five teenagers in the survey had tried free demo versions on casino platforms.

Who spends money

Of the teenagers who played these games, 15.6% said they had spent money on them. Spending stayed a minority habit in most categories, but among social casino players who spent, 19.4% put in more than €50 a month.

The ARPEJ authors also ran four focus groups. They found that design choices by game publishers, combined with the lack of age checks, made it easier to move from free play to paid play.

The link with real-money gambling

Nearly six in ten (58.8%) of the hybrid-game players also gambled for money. The study calls them *joueurs mixtes*, or mixed players. Measured on a standard adolescent problem-gambling scale (ICJA), 26.0% of mixed players had a high-severity score, compared with 3.9% of teenagers who only gambled for money.

Spending made the gap wider. Among mixed players who spent money in hybrid games, 40.7% had a high-severity score, against 14.1% of those who did not spend.

These are associations, not proof that one causes the other. The ANJ's release goes as far as saying the focus-group findings suggest some games with casino elements may be a way into real-money gambling.

Gambling ads inside games

About seven in ten hybrid-game players (68.9%) said they had seen ads encouraging them to gamble while playing. Social networks (38.4%) and online video games (38.2%) were the most common places, with TikTok and Instagram the platforms named most often.

What the ANJ says

ANJ president Pascal Chèvremont called it the first study of its kind in France and said it documents the growing "gamblification" of some digital games that are popular with minors. Emmanuel Benoit, director general of ARPEJ, called for early awareness work with young people and said parents should be "at the heart of prevention". (Our translation from the French.)

How the study was done

ARPEJ surveyed 5,000 teenagers aged 15 to 17, recruited from family panels with parental consent, between 29 August and 16 September 2025, and added four focus groups. The ANJ funded the study and contributed expertise; the report says its conclusions are the authors' own.

Why it matters

Social casinos and free demo slots are often treated as harmless because nothing can be won. This study does not say they cause problem gambling, but it does put numbers on how many teenagers use them, how many also gamble for money, and how often gambling ads reach them inside games. For regulators working on age checks and advertising, that is now part of the evidence.

For more on France and gambling advertising, see the ANJ's H1 2026 market figures, Australia's rules on wagering ads with well-known people, Greece's complaints against 18 influencers and Google's certification rules for gambling and games ads.

18+. Gambling can be addictive. If you want to take a break, see our responsible gambling page.