France: are purchase-linked prize draws allowed?
No. There is neither a permit nor a filing; the deposit requirement was abolished in 2014.
Rated: straightforward
Planning effort, not legal risk, and not legal advice. Before every launch the mechanic is confirmed by a law firm admitted in the market.
In detail
Promotional prize draws (jeux-concours) are permitted and may be purchase-linked; lawful as long as not an unfair commercial practice. The mandatory free-entry route was dropped in 2014
No permit and no filing; the deposit requirement was abolished in 2014. DGCCRF oversight, CNIL duties, the self-regulatory ARPP code, and the ANJ if a mechanic becomes gambling
No prize tax; winnings from a pure chance draw are not taxable income for private winners
Be transparent about the random draw; misleading or aggressive practices carry up to two years' imprisonment and a €1.5 m fine for companies, raisable to 10 % of average annual turnover
Since the 2014 reform, promotional prize draws (loteries publicitaires / jeux-concours) are permitted and may be reserved to purchasers; they are lawful as long as they are not an unfair commercial practice (pratique commerciale déloyale). The old mandatory free-entry route is no longer the general rule. What matters is the fairness test: transparency about the random-draw mechanism, no misleading or aggressive practices, with up to two years' imprisonment and a EUR 1.5 m fine for companies when a practice is misleading or aggressive. DGCCRF oversees promotional practice, CNIL the data side, ARPP advertising. The gambling regime of the Code de la sécurité intérieure stays in the background, but it takes over the moment participation requires an unreimbursed financial sacrifice, or the draw stops being ancillary to selling a product. Status: mid-2026.
What this means for your campaign
No lead time. The mandatory rules, CNIL duties and the self-regulatory ARPP code set the standard, and misleading practice carries heavy penalties.
All 41 markets side by side
The permit check puts all 41 markets side by side and adds up the effort for your market selection. The full legal sources are on the market rules overview.
Planning a campaign in France?
Tell us the mechanic, the markets and the date. You get a fixed-price concept back within three business days, including the permit route per market.