In a move signaling continuity and renewed focus, France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) has officially appointed Pauline Hot as its new Director General, succeeding Rémi Lataste after a five-year tenure marked by modernization and institutional consolidation.
Hot, a graduate of the École normale supérieure and the École nationale d’administration (ENA), is no stranger to the machinery of French public service. Having previously served as Deputy Director at ANJ and as Maître des requêtes at the Conseil d’État, her transition to the top post was widely anticipated within regulatory circles.
Her appointment comes at a pivotal time. France’s gambling landscape remains cautiously regulated, with the ANJ presiding over licensed activities such as sports betting, poker, and lottery games—while online casino games remain excluded. Yet calls for recalibrating market access and reinforcing consumer protections are growing louder across Europe, especially in the context of the European Commission’s AML directives and increasing scrutiny of digital betting practices.
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Outgoing Director Lataste expressed confidence in the team’s trajectory, noting that “the ANJ has become a reference model for regulatory vigilance and public integrity.”
With Hot at the helm, the ANJ is expected to deepen its cross-border coordination, notably with European counterparts such as Germany’s GGL and the Belgian Gaming Commission. A priority on her desk: ensuring that the industry’s evolution remains firmly anchored to the principles of transparency, social responsibility, and national sovereignty. France’s regulatory approach—traditionally more cautious than that of some neighbouring jurisdictions—may now benefit from Hot’s administrative rigor and legal acumen.
