Regulatory progress appears to be in sight for the online gambling industry.
For the first time, EU ministers have acknowledged a purely national approach is insufficient to deal with online gambling, which paves the way for increased cooperation at the European level.
The council conclusions on the framework for gambling and betting in the member states of the EU, published on Friday, represent a landmark in the policy discussion surrounding online gambling. This is the first unanimous position that member states have reached since they began debating online gambling in the council in 2008. It will provide additional momentum to the recently announced commission´s green paper consultation.
Sigrid Ligné, secretary general of the EGBA, commented: "The importance of these conclusions for online gambling in the EU cannot be underestimated. The member states expressly support an in-depth discussion on online gambling in the internal market as proposed by Commissioner Barnier. For the first time, they have also unanimously agreed to work on very practical measures to improve cross-border cooperation. The EGBA commends the Belgian Presidency for its hard work and this remarkable result."
The member states agreed on a number of actions that national regulatory authorities could undertake and that will improve cooperation between them. They include co-operation on consumer protection, sports integrity, minimising unnecessary administrative burdens and sharing of best practice in relation to responsible gambling measures.
Ligné added: "Since Commissioner Barnier announced the green paper, the debate on online gambling is evolving rapidly. The landscape has changed. Less than a year ago, these conclusions would have been unthinkable. The EGBA fully supports the commission in its efforts to issue the green paper as soon as possible."
