European Commission issues EU-wide online gambling guidelines

Additionally, the Commission is also to request that advertising of online gambling services is more socially responsible, and that it does not include any messages on how favorable the chances are of winning a bet, or insinuating that gambling can resolve any personal or financial difficulties. The Commission is concerned about the effects of excessive gambling and ensuring that there is enough security in place to prevent underage gambling.

Ongoing support should also be available to ensure that the potential of gambling addiction is averted. Players should also have easy access to helplines if their betting habits begin to grow out of control.

Staff members of gambling companies should be trained to interact with gamblers, making sure that they know the dangers of betting, information of a player’s record, notifying them of how many bets they have won and lost should also be made available to them.

According to the Commission, there are now close to 7 million consumers who participate in online gambling, and the EU online gaming market commands a significant 45 percent of the market share.

They also estimate that 0.1-0.8 percent of the general adult population in the EU suffers from a gambling disorder, and a further 0.1-2.2 percent are involving themselves in potentially problematic gambling patterns.

 “Yes, we indeed believe that the European level is the appropriate level to regulate the online gambling sector as it is an inherently cross-border sector. Although the recommendation on consumer protection published by the European Commission yesterday is regretfully not a fully legislatively act, we consider it an important next step in the right direction,” said Maarten Haijer, secretary-general of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA).

“We believe that every citizen in the EU has the right to have an equally high level of consumer protection, regardless of the place where they live. The Recommendation is in line with the European Committee for Standardisation workshop agreement on Responsible Remote Gambling Measures, which the Members of EGBA voluntarily adhere to and are regularly audited on,” he added.

The EGBA also expressed their concern at the lack of cooperation between the 28 member states on gaming regulation that has led to a fractured process, as most laws for online gambling are performed at a national level.

Due to the minimal regulatory framework in place at a European level, effectively the organization believes that this has left 28 gambling mini-markets in place.

This has failed to solve any cross border challenges, leaving many consumers having to deal with offers to gamble in a more unregulated and possibly damaging market.

Donal McCabe, director of communications for Ladbrokes, who have a total of more than 2,800 betting shop in the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Spain, said that much of what has been proposed is what sensible regulators and businesses already practice, and the has to be some benefit in consistency being applied across boundaries. “However, the devil is always in the detail in these matters, and often what transpires when words on paper are turned into law bear little resemblance,” he added.

“The Commission in bringing in commonality on many aspects on online operations is encouraging. Many of the recommendations are exactly what responsible gambling companies already do. We allow people to set limits, have cool off periods, do not target inappropriate channels to reach people, and ran the UK's first ever dedicated responsible gambling television advert,” he said.

The recommendations have also sparked interest from the European Parliament, where the centre right European People’s Party have said that they are in favour of the Commissions’ stance.

“We have to acknowledge that online gaming is an economic activity of special nature and may involve a greater risk of addiction than traditional offline gambling. In this light, the principles for consumer protection put forward by the Commission seem reasonable. We need reliable identification of online gamers – not least to ensure a high level of protection of minors,” said Pedro Lopez, head of press and communication Services for the EPP-group.

Although the EPP stresses that member states themselves ought to have the right to decide how the offer of online gambling is regulated, while respecting consumer protection.

The group also believe that it is important that measures are taken to prevent fraud, money laundering and match fixin, and feels that cooperation between authorities, law enforcement agencies, the sports industry, gambling operators and regulators, needs to be encouraged.

The recommendation has invited the member states to inform the Commission of the actions they have taken, 18 months after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, the daily gazette that publishes all legislative activity, and information notices in the EU.