EGBA supports request to re-establish EU Expert Group on gambling

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he Chairperson of the Dutch Gambling Authority, René Jansen has confirmed, at a webinar on Thursday morning, that a group of gambling authorities, from 14 EU Member States, has written to the European Commission to formally request the reestablishment of the Commission-mandated EU Expert Group on Gambling.

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) fully supportsreestablishing the Expert Group to help encourage and support more common and joined-up approaches towards regulating Europe’s gambling market, according to a press release.

The Expert Group provided a platform for gambling regulators to exchange information, share best practices, and work together on joint initiatives, such as the European Commission’s 2014 Recommendation on consumer protection in online gambling, which establishes principles for the protection of consumers and players of online gambling services and for the prevention of minors from gambling online.

The group consisted of representatives from the EU’s gambling authorities but was disbanded by the Commission in 2018 despite most gambling regulators considering it to be a success.

Europe’s gambling market is worth more than $118.7 Billion each year, with many millions of Europeans playing, but the absence of the Expert Group means that, unlike any other consumer market, there is currently no formal framework for regulatory cooperation at the EU level.

EGBA has called on the Commission to reinstate the Expert Group and believes that the challenges facing gambling regulation mean that formal and structured regulatory cooperation between the EU Member States is even more important to help protect European consumers.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary-General, EGBA stated: “There is currently no EU framework for gambling regulators to even communicate, let alone to jointly tackle the big issues affecting Europe’s online gambling sector. Most of these issues are cross-border in nature and require common solutions. We, therefore, welcome the strong commitment to regulatory cooperation and call to action from the majority of Europe’s gambling regulators. The message to the European Commission is clear: both gambling regulators and the sector itself are united in support of the Expert Group and call upon the Commission to reinstate the Expert Group.”