The European Betting and Gaming Association (EBGA) has emphasised the need for a single set of online gambling consumer rights.
These latest calls come ahead of the publishing of the European Commission’s Consumer Strategy, planned for later this year.
Combined, EBGA members have 16.5 million online customers across the continent.
The association believes that a single set of consumer rights would enhance player protection capabilities, plus more.
Making sure that players are “equally-protected”
In Europe, each country is responsible for developing its own online gambling regulations. However, the EBGA believes that inconsistencies mean that not everybody has the same level of protection.
The association had the following to say in its submission.
“The lack of regulatory consistency jeopardises online players’ safety, as it exposes them to the unregulated and unsafe websites of the black market, which profits to the detriment of the European economy. EGBA advocates sector-specific EU regulation for consumer and minor protection.
“There are simple rules that can be proposed, to ensure that online players, minors and players who are at risk are equally-protected. For example, self-excluded players could benefit from a European self-exclusion register, that would prohibit access to any regulated website of the EU.
“To bridge the gap stemming from inconsistent rules on protecting minors from gambling marketing, EGBA has recently published a European code of conduct to establish minimum requirements on responsible advertising. Greater regulatory cooperation between member states can also facilitate the dialogue to achieve harmonisation.
“To this end EGBA regrets the dissolvement of the European expert group for online gambling, as national gambling regulators are deprived from the opportunity to meet and exchange in the framework of a common platform.”
A more collaborative approach
The EBGA has been working towards enhancing unity between member states when it comes to gambling regulation. Earlier this year, it published the ‘Code of Conduct on Responsible Advertising for Online Gambling’. This is the first pan-European code of conduct for gambling.
Europe is the largest online gambling market in the world. In 2018, it accounted for 49.2% of the global share – with operators bringing in €22.2 billion in gross gaming revenue.
