Stronger enforcement of single market rules needed in the EU – EGBA
10.03.2020
BRUSSELS, 10 March 2020 – The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the European Commission’s action plan for the enforcement of EU single market rules[1] published today and urges the Commission to ensure online sectors and consumers truly benefit from the single market.
EGBA agrees that implementation and enforcement of EU law is a joint responsibility of both the European Commission and Member States. But that joint responsibility does not negate the special role of the European Commission as the guardian of the Treaties to ensure EU law is adhered to, as well as its role in supporting Member States to avoid potential infringement by scrutinizing their draft laws and maintaining dialogue via the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) notifications. In this respect, EGBA welcomes the Commission’s firm commitment to strictly ensure that Member States properly notify all their draft laws to the Commission.
The EU single market cannot work properly without stronger enforcement of its rules. Such enforcement is particularly needed in the online sphere, not least because EU citizens are spending more time online purchasing goods, services and engaging in entertainment activities, such as online gambling[2].
The need for stronger enforcement is particularly clear in those sectors which are not yet harmonized, such as online gambling. The EU online gambling sector is worth €22.2 billion, and growing by 10% each year, but the 16.5 million Europeans who bet online experience 27 different sets of national online gambling policies.
“EGBA welcomes the Commission’s commitment to making the single market work but EU law should be enforced more strongly across all sectors, including online gambling.” – Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA.
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About EGBA
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is the Brussels-based trade association representing the leading online gaming and betting operators established, licensed and regulated within the EU, including bet365, Betsson Group, GVC Holdings PLC, Kindred Group Plc, and William Hill. The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS) is an affiliate member of EGBA. EGBA works together with national and EU authorities and other stakeholders towards a well-regulated online gambling market which provides a high level of consumer protection and takes into account the reality of the digital economy and consumer demand. Today, EGBA’s member companies together have more than 16.5 million customers in Europe.