The French National Gaming Authority (ANJ) has recently officially launched a three-year experimental regulatory framework for "Redeemable Digital Object Games" (JONUM). These games fall between traditional video games and regulated gambling, allowing players to acquire digital assets such as NFTs and trade them on secondary markets, but strictly prohibiting cash rewards. In plain terms, it draws a line for Web3 games as "playable, but not for gambling." Operators must report to ANJ, verify player ages, set spending limits, and provide blockchain tracking permissions for anti-money laundering reviews. Want to know how Europe regulates blockchain games? The PASA official website continuously tracks policy developments.
What is JONUM? A new species of game or gambling
JONUM is a new legal category established by the French "Digital Space Security Regulation Act" (SREN), with core features including:
Players can acquire NFTs or blockchain assets
Assets can be traded on secondary markets for legal tender
However, the game itself must not offer cash prizes
There is a cap on the cumulative value obtained through digital assets
This design attempts to carve a compliant path between "pure entertainment" and "real gambling."
Consumer Protection: Aligning with traditional gambling
Although JONUM is not gambling, regulatory requirements have aligned with traditional gambling:
Real-name verification: Age and identity verification at registration, prohibiting minors from participating
Responsible tools: Players can set game duration and weekly spending limits
Self-exclusion: Provides self-blocking options
Transparency obligations: Operators must report to ANJ and submit activity logs
Blockchain tracking: If using wallets or on-chain interactions, data flow must be open to regulators
Europe compared: Loot box regulation takes different paths
France has chosen to legislate specifically for JONUM, while other European countries have varied attitudes towards similar mechanisms:
Belgium: Directly ruled that paid loot boxes violate gambling laws, forcing publishers to remove related mechanisms
The Netherlands: Reviews loot boxes under existing gambling frameworks, requiring developers to adjust or withdraw
The United Kingdom: The Gambling Commission considers most loot boxes outside its jurisdiction (as virtual items cannot be directly exchanged for cash), and the government calls for industry self-regulation, suggesting restrictions for players under 18
Whether the French model can become a regulatory blueprint for European Web3 games will be answered in the next three years of experimentation.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel: https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
