EGBA Demands pan-European Consumer Rights for iGaming

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has demanded for the introduction of a specific single set of consumer rights for Europe’s iGaming sector.

The European Commission (EC) will publish its new consumer strategy later this year. The EGBA wants the EC to incorporate its demand into the new strategy. It is now consulting stakeholders for developing a single pan-European set of consumer rights.

EGBA has sent a letter to EC with the following excerpts:

In its submission to the EC, it says: “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.”