New ARJEL president aims to improve conditions for operators
President François Hollande appoints Charles Coppolani to replace former head of French regulator Jean-François Vilotte
Charles Coppolani has been appointed as the new president of French gambling regulator l’Autorité de regulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL), replacing the outgoing Jean-François Vilotte, with a remit to create “optimal economic conditions” for operators.
His appointment was announced by the regulator this morning, by decree of French President François Hollande, after being one of two frontrunners to take up the role following the earlier resignation of Vilotte.
Coppolani joins the ARJEL after working as head of economic and financial control at the Ministry of Finance since 2006, in addition to being president of the Observatory of Games for the last three years.
In a statement the regulator said that during his tenure the new president would seek to strike the best balance between player protection and creating a economically competitive market for operators.
“[Coppolani] is aware of the absolute necessity to protect players from the risk of addiction that are particularly acute in online games and he is anxious to arrange for operators who operate legally to do so in optimal economic conditions,” the statement said.
Former president Vilotte announced his departure from the French regulator in December after three years’ service and officially stepped down from the role in January to pursue a career in the private sector.
Vilotte was hired as president of the French regulator in May 2010 having previously worked as director general at the French Tennis Federation from 2007 to 2009 and also held a number of positions in the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
His departure came despite having two years left to serve in the role and followed a complete restructuring of ARJEL in October as the regulator looks to better meet the needs of the regulated online gambling industry.