European Gaming Operators Pledge to Support Safer Gambling

The European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA) is determined to create a better gaming experience across the region, but can’t do it if not all operators are on board. The trade association that represents online gaming at the business and legislative levels in the European Union (EU) has introduced several initiatives to reach its goal and the biggest names in the industry are doing their part. With the support of the principal leaders, other operators will have to fall in line or risk being eliminated through attrition.

EU Gaming Operators on the Same Page

The heads of several gaming operators have put their names on paper to support “collective ambitions” to create a safer gambling ecosystem throughout Europe. Among those putting pen to paper were bet365 co-CEO John Coates, Betsson AB CEO Jesper Svensson, Entain Plc CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Kindred Group CEO Henrik Tjärnström and William Hill Managing Director Patrick Jonker.  They all agreed that they “have a responsibility to take the lead in fostering a stronger culture of safer gambling across our sector and promoting a more sustainable future” because of their strong leadership status in the gaming industry.

The united front is going to foster a more robust, transparent and regulated gaming industry throughout the region. The latest push follows an EGBA effort developed to create better accountability in the industry, details of which were outlined in the organization’s Sustainability Report 2020/21. The executives now further expect to enhance the efforts and raise the bar on safer gambling requirements. Already, all of them have begun to work toward that goal, introducing innovative tools and monitoring solutions that can better protect users, as well as the industry.

Unified Initiatives are the Future

Instead of working against each other in the market, the gaming operators are going to work together to help the entire industry advance into the future. This doesn’t mean that the companies will ignore their own stakeholder-driven objectives,  but those can be fulfilled, as well, by developing a unified front to drive the entire ecosystem. The executives recognize in their letter that operators can increase their contributions to states’ revenues and employment, as well as to local communities and sports economies, by embracing the regulatory processes that will shape the industry.

We believe that we are witnessing a monumental shift in this regard, as game-changing technology is allowing us to detect the subtle changes in behaviours which may suggest a customer is experiencing or is at risk of gambling harm.”

Joint statement by leading EU gaming operators

Efforts have begun to try to implement an EU-wide regulatory framework for the gaming industry, although it has found resistance along the way. It’s likely that the EGBA’s efforts are going to help overcome that resistance, and the operators promise to create better dialogue with regulators and stakeholders to introduce a safer gaming experience and to protect consumers from gaming harm. They conclude, “Transparency, accountability, and collaboration are at the core of this approach as we aim to encourage all willing operators to join us on this journey, in a race to the top in terms of consumer protection.”