Sacre Bleu! France Decries Lottery’s English-Language Makeover

• French lottery corporation has changed its name from FDJ to FDJ United
• The move comes following two international acquistions and an expansion of its business
• Some native French speakers decry the “internationalization” of the company’s name as a bastardization of their native language

French lottery giant Française des Jeux (FDJ) has changed its name to FDJ United. The rebrand is designed to reflect the company’s “European stature” following its recent acquisition of Premier Lotteries Ireland, and of Kindred, the Swedish online gaming group.

But to defenders of the French language, the anglicization has gone down like a curdled crème brûlée.

Traditionalists have long bemoaned the encroachment of English words (Franglais) into the French vernacular – from “le weekend” to “le shampooing” – and this has accelerated in the age of the internet and global business speak.

‘Globish Scandal’

Speaking on Sud Radio, former National Assembly deputy for the Republicans Jacques Myard described the lottery operator’s rebrand as “a scandal” and wondered whether “Globish” was now the national language, as reported by The Times of London.

Coined by French business writer Jean-Paul Nerrière, Globish is a simplified version of English used by non-English speakers, a kind of patois for international business. Needless to say, it’s abhorrent to those who wish to preserve the purity of French.

Despite Brexit, English remains the standard language used in the institutions of the European Union, a fact that largely irks the French. Others argue that English has become a more appropriate lingua franca because Britain’s departure makes it more neutral.

Two lawsuits filed in 2023 by President Emmanuel Macron’s government with the European Court of Justice accuse the European Commission of discrimination against non-English speakers. But Macron himself has been guilty of embracing Globish when he named an annual summit of international investors “Choose France.”

Big Acquisitions

Formerly the state-owned lottery company, FDJ United is the largest gambling operator in France. It was privatized in 2018 when the government sold off 50% of its ownership.

In November 2023, FDJ acquired Ireland’s national lottery operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland, making it the second-largest lottery operator in Europe and the fourth-largest globally.

The scale of these takeovers has transformed the former monopoly into a company with a truly global outlook, FDJ said in a statement announcing the rebrand.

“Thanks to its presence in nearly fifteen European countries, international activity now represents nearly a third of its turnover and half of its employees,” read the statement. “Today, our group is beginning a new chapter in its history, more diversified and more international.”