Press Releases

27.08.2026

Maarten Haijer to step down after 13 years as Secretary General of EGBA, having helped to shape the transformation of Europe's online gambling market. Pierre Tournier steps up as interim Secretary General.  Brussels, 27 August 2026 – The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) today announced that Maarten Haijer is stepping down as Secretary General after nearly two decades with EGBA. Pierre Tournier, Senior Director at EGBA and a 15-year veteran of the sector, has been appointed the association’s interim Secretary General, effective from 1 September 2026. Haijer joined EGBA in 2008 as Director of Regulatory Affairs and became Secretary General in 2013. Under his leadership, EGBA became a leading industry voice within Europe's online gambling sector, deepened its engagement with EU and national institutions and led the case for safe, well-regulated, and competitive multi-licensed markets across the continent. During this time, EGBA helped open several markets to regulated competition and...

10.07.2026

EGBA has filed a complaint with the Bank of Lithuania against a payment provider over the alleged processing of payments linked to illegal gambling operators, pointing to a wider problem across Europe's payments chain. Brussels, 10 July 2026 - The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has filed a formal complaint with the Bank of Lithuania against Walletto, a Lithuania-based payment service provider, over the alleged processing of payments linked to illegal online gambling operators. The complaint follows an EGBA investigation into illegal gambling websites and apps targeting European consumers. The complaint cites test transactions during the investigation that found evidence suggesting Walletto's services were used in connection with deposits on a number of these platforms. While the complaint concerns one provider, it points to a wider problem across the payments chain. Illegal gambling operators cannot operate at scale without access to payments - they depend on the same mainstream...

09.07.2026

The association publishes its Annual Activity Report 2026, highlighting key organisational achievements over the past 12 months and latest online gambling market data from its members. Brussels, 9 July 2026 - The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), representing Europe's leading online gambling operators, has published its latest Annual Activity Report. The report showcases EGBA's key achievements and valuable insights into the European online gambling market through aggregated market data from its members. The Annual Activity Report 2026 details EGBA's achievements over the past year, including progress in setting and raising standards across the industry - from player protection to advertising and anti-money laundering. The 5th annual European Safer Gambling Week achieved record participation and impact across Europe, including, for the first time, safer gambling messaging displayed at live televised football matches in several countries. EGBA also launched safergambling.eu, a new dedicated platform providing players with country-specific helplines and self-exclusion...

01.06.2026

Europe's leading online gambling operators support the new CEN standard on markers of harm as voluntary baseline for identifying risky gambling behaviour.  BRUSSELS, 1 JUNE 2026 – The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the publication of the European standard on markers of harm in gambling (EN 18144), on 31 May 2026, through the national standardisation bodies of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). EGBA and its members support the standard as an important voluntary baseline for identifying risky gambling behaviour, and its members are committed to aligning their player protection frameworks with the standard across Europe. The standard establishes a strong baseline for consumer protection across Europe, identifying nine core behavioural markers that operators can use to recognise risky gambling patterns before they escalate: changes in stake volume or frequency. speed or intensity of play. deposit frequency, size, or failed deposits. withdrawals and cancelled withdrawals. player-initiated contact. gambling...

15.04.2026

EGBA warns that a potential EU online gambling levy would be fundamentally unworkable, would benefit illegal operators at the expense of consumer protection, and would reduce tax revenues for Member States.  Brussels, 15 April 2026 – The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) notes today's vote by the European Parliament's Budget Committee on its opinion concerning the EU's next long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034. The Committee's opinion identifies a number of potential new direct revenue streams for the EU budget, including an EU levy on online gambling. EGBA believes that introducing an EU online gambling levy, on top of existing national gambling taxes, would be fundamentally unworkable, would benefit illegal operators at the expense of consumer protection for EU citizens, and would reduce tax revenues for Member States. The final decision on any new EU own resource - a direct revenue stream for the EU budget...

02.04.2026

EGBA is pleased to announce that this year's European Safer Gambling Week will take place from 16-22 November 2026. Join us in promoting safer gambling across Europe! Brussels, 2 April 2026 – The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is pleased to announce the dates for this year's European Safer Gambling Week, which will take place from 16-22 November 2026. European Safer Gambling Week is an annual pan-European initiative[1] organised by EGBA to raise awareness about safer gambling and reinforce a strong culture of player protection. The initiative brings together stakeholders across Europe's gambling sector in a common mission to promote safe and sustainable play through sharing tools, resources, and best practices. This year will be the sixth edition of the initiative and follows the record-breaking success of 2025, which saw 221 partners participate across 24 countries, with a social media campaign reaching 4.1 million users with safer gambling messages -...