EGBA Calls For Standard iGaming Regulations
Online gambling in European Union (EU) countries is on the rise. iGaming now accounts for more than 20 percent of the region’s gambling activity. However, as the popularity increases, the need for safety regulations for the millions of online bettors also arises.
As most of our activities are now made online, gambling is no different. The betting population has changed their habits and the trend continues to swell. The issue is that while most Europeans who gamble only do it for leisure and within reasonable limits, there is approximately 1 percent that gamble too often or place too much on the line.
This is why the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has called for more regulations during their Responsible Gaming Day at the European Parliament. This is because EU gaming regulations do not do sufficient justice to regulate the online gambling industry as the majority of transactions are taking place across EU boundaries.
European Gaming and Betting Association
The EGBA has voiced out that there are discrepancies in terms of consumer protection. There are some countries that lag behind a recommended standard. They want EU consumers to always be assured that there are safeguards for them anywhere within the Union.
This is not a new clamour. The European Commission actually issued guidelines in 2014 which aimed at convincing member countries to develop stronger safety nets that would be a standard feature for online gambling in the EU. They were supposed to discuss the implementation in 2017, but it did not materialize.
EU Players Need Better Protection
In a recent study conducted by City, University of London revealed that only Denmark has fully adapted the guidelines set by the Commission. Aside from this, there are significant gaps among each member nation on how much protection is given to the online gamblers.
One safety net is a self-exclusion register, which would exclude a user from accessing gambling websites. Only 14 countries currently have this, and they are only implemented within their borders, meaning the excluded gambler can still register on any other country. The study showed that there are just 13 countries that required the words ‘underage gambling‘ to be mentioned in gambling advertising signs, which is a rather simple procedure to follow.
Various security issues have been spotted as only 14 countries have means of identity verification, increasing the risk of fraud and the proliferation of minors.
The EGBA argued that having common guidelines throughout the EU would be beneficial for companies as well, since they can avoid the hassle of trying to follow different rules which can be conflicting at times as well.
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