EGBA Demands a More Regulated Gambling Market

More and more European Union (EU) member states are regulating their internet gambling markets and while they are holding operators to strict standards, each country has set its own guidelines for what is legal even though some of these guidelines are in direct conflict with rules that were set out by the European Commission (EC).

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) Secretary General Sigrid Ligne is now putting pressure on the EC to develop a more consistent plan of action that will ensure a gambling environment free of crime and focused on player protection. This call to action comes just a few weeks before the EC is due to release its Communication and Action Plan on Online Gambling meaning that there is still time for the EC to make changes.

Ligne openly discussed that the fact that there are currently 27 gambling mini-markets instead of one cohesive market in which the conditions of EU operators is not only open but also transparent and fair. While Germany is not the only country that has recently set out gambling legislation that goes against the current EU laws, it is the country that many other countries are formally complaining about.

Ligne urged the EC to deal with the 9 infringement procedures and numerous complaints before even more countries decide to do as they want rather than to follow what is legal. The EGBA believes that the EC must create a solution that would address consumer protection standards, technical standards, common licensing requirements and reporting tools as well as regulating market access.