EGBA Online Gambling Wish List

The major European online gambling operators are represented by the trade body better known as the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA). The regulation of online gambling will be discussed by the European Parliament on 27 June. Just before the scheduled meeting the EGBA released a wish list outlining the guidelines that the European Parliament must follow since this topic is such a bone of contention.

European Parliament Praised by Ligne

The European Parliament praised Sigrid Ligne, secretary of the EGBA since he reignited the debate on online gambling through his Green Paper consultation and a solution to curb problem gambling. She’s also happy that the Creutzmann report has been used as a yardstick by the European Parliament. Basically it confirms that national stand-alone solutions are not suitable for addressing cross-border aspects of online gambling and requested that the European Commission launch an investigation against protectionist regimes.

Ligne said that the situation has deteriorated in spite of the above steps. The reason for this is that some nations imposed hefty sanctions against consumers and online casinos who violated this legislation based on EU law. Ligne continued in the same vein, “Without Commission action now, certain member states will continue to consider that they have carte blanche to do as they deem fit.”

With regard to the online gambling debacle, the EGBA wish list encouraged additional cooperation and trust between EU member states. Presently there are many loopholes within the system such as the transgression of rules, costly duplication of controls and irregularities in the protection of consumers. The EGBA proposed that the EU must start to take full legal responsibility for its actions.

In Europe there are presently 27 mini-markets for online gambling in operation. Problem is the consumer is not allowed to choose between them but compelled to accept his/her national market with all its shortcomings. In hindsight, this has created a breeding ground for unregulated online gambling which has a negative impact on the consumer. Hence the reason the EGBA requested a detailed legislative framework for online gambling across the EU. This expectation is obtainable and not unreasonable since a framework of this nature already exists for other services and online gambling is covered by a number of EU rules.