Euro 2024: one in ten minors will bet online, beware of the dangers of addiction and its “disastrous financial, social and psychological consequences”

Les mineurs sont les plus vulnérables face à l’addiction provoquée par les paris sportifs en ligne. MAXPPP – Stéphanie Para

Les jeunes sont un profil à risque. Pertes d’argent, santé mentale dégradée… Face à ces dangers, des campagnes de prévention ciblées sont en cours. 

"The advice I would give ? Never start because it’s hard to get out of the loop. Or bet with friends, a pizza or a Greek". Maxime, 27, is a former "addict" to sports betting. Like many, he started out as a minor.

During the Euro football, which begins this Friday, and the Olympic Games (July 26-August 11), the National Games Authority (ANJ ) expects more than a billion euros in stakes in France, a colossal figure. Around 30% of sports bettors – overwhelmingly male – are between 18 and 24 years old and 34% between 25 and 34, according to 2023 figures from the ANJ.

1982 euros annual investment for all ages

The average annual stake is 1 982 euros per account for all ages. Although minors are prohibited from gambling, one in ten had made sports bets in 2021, according to a study carried out by Sedap, an association specializing in addiction.

The first sports bet takes place around the age of 14, often in a light-hearted manner with a parent, then with friends. Two students interviewed by AFP, Robin and Andrëa, one living in Paris, the other in Metz, explain that they started playing regularly in high school, in a bar or press offices, where their identity card was not checked.

Maxime was 17 years old."I played because my friends did, it was to have fun, to add a little spice to the match", says this artistic director of" rsquo;a record company, which prefers not to give its surname. "It’was 2 euros, 5, sometimes 10".

Fatal Gear

He then starts to bet more and the gears really click into place when he switches to online betting: "In a bar- tobacco, what you put in, you have it in your hands, you know that you put in 50 euros. Online, you have less of this awareness of money […] Sometimes, it goes up to 400, 500, 1,000 euros". He was then 22-23 years old and realized, thanks to his girlfriend, that he was “a little addicted”: he was often on his phone, including at the beach, often "annoyed", because "when you lose it affects your mood".

He then decides to uninstall the application, taking advantage of a sports break to wean himself off it. "While addiction to gambling is estimated at 1 % of the adult population, this figure can rise up to 7 % for those under 25", explains Morgane Merat, referent on the issue of sports betting at the Addictions France association.

However, mental health and addiction are intrinsically linked

A vulnerability which can be explained by various factors: "The brain is not fully formed until age 25. The Covid crisis has also had a particularly significant impact on this age group in terms of mental health. However, mental health and addiction are intrinsically linked. And while 18-24 year olds are a fairly precarious audience in general, betting can be seen as a way to earn easy money by some", notes Morgane Austruy, director of excessive gaming prevention at the ANJ.

An illusion of control

Added to this, explains Mme Merat, the role of the "link social", because the game is often played with friends, and a "cognitive distortion" which gives an "illusion of control", the feeling that &quot ;their knowledge of sports will allow them to win" or "remake yourself".

Without forgetting the marketing of operators, with strong visual campaigns, partnerships with influencers or the significant bonuses offered (100 euros or more), which allow you to play for free and encourage you to start playing. bet or play again, she notes.

Prevention campaign

While in 2021, the Euro had given rise to a "advertising hype", particularly targeting young people, the ANJ had demanded at the beginning of 2022 the withdrawal of the Winamax campaign "Tout pour la Daronne", and accentuated pressure on operators regarding minors and excessive gamblers. The ANJ has since noticed a change in the "tone" des advertisements, but remains "vigilante" and has just launched a prevention campaign on the risks of addiction.

While young people from working-class neighborhoods are considered a target of operators, the department of Seine-Saint-Denis will also launch, as during the 2022 World Cup, a campaign, in response to the pandemic. associating with the Red Star club, explains its president (PS) Stéphane Troussel, who recalls the "financial, social and psychological consequences" disastrous effects of addiction.