French Study Examines Teen Participation in Hybrid Digital Games

The Autorité nationale des jeux released results from its ENJEU-Mineurs 2025 research project, conducted in partnership with ARPEJ, which surveyed 5,000 French adolescents aged 15 to 17 and documented their exposure to hybrid digital games that combine video gaming elements with gambling-style mechanics such as social casino games, loot boxes, free demo casino titles, and video games featuring casino components.

According to the data, 39 percent of respondents reported playing these hybrid formats during the previous year, and the same study tracked elevated gambling risk scores among participants who combined hybrid play with real-money gambling activities.

Scope of the ENJEU-Mineurs 2025 Project

The project focused exclusively on the 15–17 age group and gathered responses through structured questionnaires that asked about frequency of play, types of hybrid features encountered, and any crossover into paid gambling platforms. Researchers designed the sample to reflect regional and demographic diversity across France, allowing the findings to represent national patterns rather than isolated local trends. The resulting dataset provides regulators with baseline measurements for monitoring how digital game mechanics intersect with traditional gambling behaviors.

Participation Rates and Overlap Statistics

Figures reveal that nearly 59 percent of those who engaged with hybrid games also participated in real-money gambling during the same period. This overlap stood out because participants who reported both activities showed higher average scores on standardized gambling risk assessments than those who limited themselves to either hybrid games or real-money gambling alone. The study recorded specific mechanics such as loot box openings and casino-themed mini-games within larger video titles as common entry points for the hybrid category.

Game Mechanics Covered in the Research

Hybrid digital games include social casino environments where players use virtual currency yet encounter progression systems that mirror real casino rewards, loot boxes that deliver randomized items with perceived value, free demo versions of casino games that replicate paid interfaces, and full video games that embed slot-style or table-game segments. The ANJ report notes these features often appear in titles rated for general audiences, which expands reach beyond platforms that require age verification for real-money play. Data collected through the survey indicates teens encounter these mechanics across mobile apps, browser-based platforms, and console titles without needing to leave the gaming environment.

Measurement of Gambling Risk Scores

Researchers applied validated screening instruments to calculate risk scores and compared results across four subgroups: non-players, hybrid-only players, real-money gamblers only, and those active in both categories. The combined group recorded the highest mean scores, while hybrid-only participants showed modestly elevated scores relative to non-players. The study presents these comparisons as descriptive statistics without attributing causation, instead highlighting the need for continued observation of how repeated exposure to simulated gambling mechanics correlates with later real-money involvement.

Regulatory Context and Ongoing Monitoring

The Autorité nationale des jeux uses such studies to inform its oversight of licensed operators and to identify emerging digital products that may require additional consumer protections. Findings from the ENJEU-Mineurs 2025 project feed into broader policy discussions about age-appropriate design standards and the visibility of gambling-like features within mainstream video games. The full report supplies detailed tables that break down participation by gender, region, and frequency of play, giving policymakers concrete numbers to reference when evaluating future interventions.

Conclusion

The ENJEU-Mineurs 2025 study supplies French regulators with updated measurements of how hybrid digital games intersect with real-money gambling among 15–17-year-olds, showing 39 percent participation in hybrid formats and a 59 percent overlap with actual gambling among those players. These figures, drawn from a nationally representative sample of 5,000 respondents, establish a factual baseline for tracking changes in behavior and risk indicators over successive research cycles. The data remain available for further analysis by public health researchers and industry stakeholders seeking to understand patterns within this specific age cohort.