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EGBA Renew Commitment To Safer Online Gambling And Responsible Advertising As Coronavirus Restrictions Return
As many European countries face the return of more severe coronavirus-related (COVID-19) restrictions, online gambling associations have renewed their commitment to safer gambling and responsible advertising by outlining essential measures which gambling companies should rigorously apply to protect their customers.
The reintroduction of more severe restrictions could again lead to citizens spending prolonged periods at home and raise concerns that isolation could increase the risks of addictive behaviours, including those related to gambling. Gambling companies should therefore be vigilant to promote safer gambling and protect their customers, particularly those who are vulnerable, during these difficult times.
Despite concerns to the contrary, online gambling substantially declined in Europe during the lockdown between March and May, according to official government reporting.[1] The data published by gambling regulators revealed that, with the cancellation of major sports events, the majority of sport betting customers simply stopped betting altogether and did not significantly move to other forms of online gambling.
To strengthen and promote safer gambling in these challenging times, we urge all online gambling companies to ensure that their:
- Advertising does not refer to the coronavirus, coronavirus-related public health statements and/or any other coronavirus-related developments.
- Advertising does not portray gambling as a solution to boredom or social, personal or financial problems.
- Advertising and websites contain clear and visible information about minimum age restrictions, national problem gambling helplines and self-exclusion registers where possible.
- Websites contain robust and rigorously enforced identity verification measures to verify the identity of new customers and prevent minors from gambling.
- Websites contain clearly sign-posted safer gambling tools – such as deposit limits, time outs and self-exclusion tools – which customers can use to manage their gambling activity.
- Customers are closely monitored for problematic gambling behaviour and the companies step up direct safer gambling interventions with their customers when appropriate.
- New customers are duly informed of safer gambling tools when they sign up.
These measures build on actions already being taken by our members as part of their safer gambling efforts and are reflective of the European Commission’s “Recommendation 2014/478/EU on consumer protection in online gambling” which outlines essential guidelines on safer gambling and responsible advertising of online gambling.
We urge online gambling companies to share this information with any affiliate marketing companies they work with and ensure their brands are not being promoted in an unethical and socially irresponsible way.
“The reintroduction of coronavirus restrictions poses significant challenges for Europe’s society. This guidance is intended to help fellow citizens and provides an opportunity for gambling companies to demonstrate their willingness to take responsibility during these challenging times. These are simple but essential measures which all gambling companies should adopt to protect their customers, step up their social responsibility efforts and ensure their advertising is conducted in an ethical and responsible way. We urge all online gambling companies to adhere to them.” – Maarten Haijer, Secretary General (EGBA).
This statement is supported by the following European online gambling associations
APAJO – Associação Portuguesa de Apostas e Jogos Online (Portugal); BAGO – Belgian Association of Gaming Operators (Belgium); BGC – Betting and Gaming Council (UK); BOS – Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (Sweden); DOCV – Deutscher Online Casinoverband (Germany); DOGA – Danish Online Gambling Association (Denmark); DSWV – Deutscher Sportwettenverband (Germany); EGBA – European Gaming and Betting Association (Belgium); IBIA – International Betting Integrity Association (Belgium); iGEN – iGaming European Network (Malta); Jdigital – Asociación Española de Juego Digital (Spain); LOGiCO – Lega Operatori di Gioco su Canale Online (Italy); NBO – Norsk Bransjeforening for Onlinespill (Norway); NOGA – the Netherlands Online Gambling Association (Netherlands); and OVWG – Österreichische Vereinigung für Wetten & Glücksspiel (Austria).
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: EGBA Renew Commitment To Safer Online Gambling And Responsible Advertising As Coronavirus Restrictions Return
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Levy announcement: GamCare statement and data
Statement:
Mark Weiss, Deputy CEO and Director of Communications and External Affairs at GamCare, commented: “We welcome today’s announcement from the Government on the statutory levy and look forward to working with the NHS, other providers and future commissioners to ensure the success of the new treatment, prevention and research system.
“At GamCare, our priority is making sure that people who need support for gambling harms receive it as quickly and effectively as possible. With a record 55,000 people calling the National Gambling Helpline last year alone, now is the right time for this important clarity on the future system.
“With 27 years’ experience running the National Gambling Helpline, GamCare plays a vital role ensuring people can access gambling harms support when they need it most.
“Just as we welcome this renewed focus on treatment, we recognise the importance of protecting vulnerable people, particularly children, before harms escalate. That’s why we welcome the Government’s emphasis on prevention. Having witnessed a steep rise in our Helpline callers citing difficulties with online slots, GamCare further welcomes the introduction of new youth-focussed stake limits – an important step in preventing future harm.”
Additional new data from GamCare
- Almost half of calls (45%) to the National Gambling Helpline now cite issues with online slot machine games.
- The proportion of calls to the National Gambling Helpline citing issues with online slot machine games has increased by one-third since the pandemic, according to the gambling support charity GamCare.
- The charity found that, of the 6697 callers who disclosed a form of gambling to Advisers on the Helpline in 2023-2024*, 45 per cent cited challenges with gambling on online slot games, a figure which stood at 34 per cent in 2020-2021.
Activity | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 |
Online Slots | 33.6% | 45.8% | 43.9% | 44.6% |
The post Levy announcement: GamCare statement and data appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Play’n GO announces exclusive game launch with Hard Rock Bet
Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced the release of a new game title available exclusively to Hard Rock Bet online casino players in New Jersey.
Play’n GO recently announced the beginning of its partnership with Hard Rock Digital to provide premium content for its highly-rated Hard Rock Bet online casino in New Jersey.
The Swedish-founded gaming giant partnered up with the renowned global entertainment brand to create Hard Rock Pork N Roll, a spin-off of another wildly popular Play’n GO title, Piggy Blitz. The resulting game is the outcome of many months of collaboration and is predicted to entertain Hard Rock Bet players in the same style as its predecessor.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer at Play’n GO, commented “Our formal partnership with Hard Rock Digital is still in its relative infancy, but many months of work have gone into both the partnership itself and the design of this game, with input from both businesses. We’re excited by this new exclusive title, and it is a testament to the innovation and creativity of our game designers to create a fun spin-off of one of our classic titles. Hard Rock Pork N Roll is sure to be a huge success- the name of the game alone makes it stand out as an instant classic! This game is evidence of our ability to create top-quality, bespoke content for all of our customers, something we’re looking forward to doing more of in future.”
Grant Williams, SVP-Casino, Hard Rock Digital added “Our ‘Only at Hard Rock’ section continues to grow with another exclusive, bespoke experience and the addition of Hard Rock Pork N Roll—an immersive title that seamlessly weaves signature Hard Rock elements into the gameplay. Working with Play’n Go on this custom creation has set the standard for future collaboration, and we’re confident that Hard Rock Pork N Roll will quickly become a headliner among the 2,300+ games on our top-rated app.”
To find out more about Play’n GO and its Hard Rock Digital partnership, as well as its US activity, please visit playngo.com.
The post Play’n GO announces exclusive game launch with Hard Rock Bet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Stretch Network announces Black Friday Weekend Tournament
Black Friday Weekend is here! Stretch Network introduces another player-focused initiative – the Black Friday Weekend promotion. Running from November 29th to December 1st, this event offers up to 90% discounts on buy-ins for the World Poker League tournament series.
Here’s how it works:
- Players register for special phase tournaments at a reduced cost.
- These 2-minute events don’t require player actions and provide the same starting stack as the target tournament.
- After the phase tournament ends, players are automatically registered for the main event.
- Players already in the target tournament will have their stacks combined for added excitement.
Raise with us to go all-in on player satisfaction.
The post Stretch Network announces Black Friday Weekend Tournament appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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