bet365 has secured a license from the French Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) to expand into the country’s gambling market and offer online sports betting.bet365 had...
French footballers demand FFF to block World Cup betting ads
French football player Kylian Mbappé and his teammates have urged the French Football Federation (FFF) to impose stricter controls on World Cup betting ads after gambling operator Betclic used the footballers’ photos in its promotions without their knowledge or permission.
The dispute began after multiple French players discovered that photos from a national team media session were used in Betclic’s campaign, with Rayan Cherki, Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doué, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé featured in the operator’s ad. The footballers claim they weren’t told that their images would be used by a betting operator.
According to Mbappé and his teammates, the Football Federation failed to uphold a September 2023 agreement that was supposed to regulate the use of image rights by sponsors. Mbappé has expressed increased criticism over the betting ads, as the French national team captain has been against athletes promoting gambling products for many years now.
On the other hand, under the 2023 collective image rights agreement, federation sponsors are allowed to use group photos of players as part of a collective team promotion, which is the reason why Betclic was permitted to circulate the ad, as it met the necessary requirements.
It appears that the national team has chosen not to take the issue public as the World Cup is approaching; however, local reports suggest that team members are planning to launch action against the Federation when the tournament is over.
The French National Gambling Authority (ANJ) issued a formal warning against prediction markets on February 24, 2026, and stated that they classify them as illegal gambling.
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