Press Releases

06.12.2018

Only one EU member state has fully implemented the European Commission’s guidelines for protecting consumers in online gambling Brussels, Today – All EU member states, except Denmark, have not fully implemented EU consumer protection guidelines for online gambling, putting the protection of online gamblers at risk by leaving them exposed to unequal and inadequate levels of consumer protection across EU member states, according to a study published today by the City University London. The study “Consumer protection in EU online gambling regulation” reviewed the national implementation of selected key provisions of the European Commission’s guidelines for consumer protection in online gambling,[1]and found major gaps in consumer protection exist in EU member states. For example, only 14 member states have established national self-exclusion registers and only 13 member states require ‘no underage gambling’ signs on advertisements. The Commission’s guidelines aim to encourage a uniform high-level of protection for online gamblers across...

27.11.2018

New industry data from 2017 shows that EGBA members are leading the way in popular digital entertainment. Brussels, Today – European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) members in 2017 had more than 12 million active customers, held licenses in 19 EU member states, processed 354 million online payments, contributed €325 million support to sports, and sustained 33,000 digital and high quality jobs in the EU across 14 member states, according to new 2017 data released today by the industry group. “Europe’s online gambling sector is a growing and popular form of digital entertainment - but with this growth comes responsibility to ensure that people are kept safe while playing on online gambling websites. This new data shows EGBA members are at the forefront of the sector’s development, interacting with millions of customers and processing nearly a million payment transactions each day.” – Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA.   EU-28 Online...

27.09.2018

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is pleased to announce the addition of MRG (formerly Mr Green & Co) as its newest member. “We are very pleased that MRG has joined the EGBA family and we look forward to working closely together with them towards an open, well-regulated market for online gaming in the EU and EEA. MRG brings a strong profile of responsibility, and together we will work towards developing attractive regulated markets that are capable of channelling consumers and providing a high level of consumer protection. It’s an exciting but challenging time for European operators and we are pleased that reputable operators like MRG recognise the benefits of working closer together through the EGBA in order to meet these challenges” – Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA. “MRG shares EGBA’s view that the industry must work closer together to create a safe and reliable European digital environment for...

31.05.2018

Ahead of the EU Telecommunications Council on 8 June, where the EU draft e-Privacy Regulation (ePR) will be discussed, a group of 57 digital industry associations has sent a joint letter to EU Ministers urging them to ensure consistency between the e-Privacy Regulation and the recently introduced General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force on 25 May. The industry initiative – which was coordinated by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) – calls on EU Ministers to ensure that EU privacy rules are consistent to enable a high-level of privacy protection for consumers and legal clarity for businesses with regards to data processing and enforcement. “Following the recent privacy scandals it is crucial that the EU restores consumer trust and reassure consumers that their data is being protected and processed responsibly by digital companies. The recent introduction of the GDPR is a significant milestone in helping to...

02.05.2018

The Council of State, the highest administrative court of the Netherlands, has questioned the granting of the country’s lotto license to the state-owned gambling operator Nederlandse Loterij after finding the existence of only one lotto license to be insufficiently justified by the national gambling regulator. The Council also ruled that the existence of a sole sports betting license for the offline market, granted also to the state-owned lottery, was justified. The Council ruling follows an appeal by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) whose members have been excluded from the Dutch sports betting market as a result of the limited availability of sports betting licenses. The Council of State has ruled that the national gambling regulator, the Netherlands Gaming Authority or Kansspelautoriteit, must present convincing arguments to justify why it restricts the number of licenses for lotto games while it grants multiple licenses for other forms of gambling, including...

28.02.2018

The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has today ruled that the Hungarian requirement to have an offline casino in order to be allowed to offer online casino games is in clear violation of EU law. The ruling, in a case brought by EU-licensed online gaming operator Sporting Odds, also prohibits enforcement by the Hungarian authorities based on its current gambling legislation which is not in line with the EU freedom to provide services. The European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the ruling which reinforces the CJEU’s previous judgment against Hungarian licensing regulations and is a significant step in providing further legal clarity to online gambling regulation in Europe. In today’s judgement[1], the CJEU ruled that Hungarian legislation on granting licenses to operate online casino games, which required licensees to hold a license for a land-based casino in the territory of Hungary, is not compatible with the principle of freedom...