European Gaming and Betting Association

This article is about the association of European online betting and gaming operators. For the clan of the Yoruba people in western Nigeria, see Egba people.
Logo of EGBA

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is the main association representing the leading privately owned European online betting and gaming operators, licensed in the European Union. EGBA promotes the implementation of a regulated and competitive market for online gambling operators throughout Europe in line with EU law. The association was created in 2007 and represents 6 member companies and one trade association. Its headquarters are located in Brussels.

History

EGBA was created in February 2007 and was formerly known as the European Betting Association. Maarten Haijer serves as the association’s Secretary-General since April 2013.[1]

Membership

EGBA is composed of five leading online betting companies: Bet-at-home, Betclic, Bwin.party, Expect and Unibet. The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association and BOS are affiliate members.

Objectives

EGBA promotes the creation of a safe and reliable European digital environment for online gambling players. A well-functioning digital environment requires regulation that provides a high level of consumer protection and takes into account the reality of the digital economy and consumer demand. It must also ensure that the regulated offer can be attractive enough to appeal to the maximum number of players so as to channel them away from unregulated offers.

Actions and Partnerships

Responsible Gaming Day

Each year, EGBA organises a high level conference “Responsible Gaming Day”. The latest edition took place in the Solvay Library in Brussels. The conferences have become an annual meeting on European gambling policy gathering representatives from European institutions, national regulators and other stakeholders of the gambling sector. The event, which has been running since 2008, provides an opportunity for a fact-based discussion of best practices for responsible gaming and betting in the EU.

Partnership with ESSA

All EGBA members are also members of the European Sports Security Association (ESSA) whose objective is to promote sport integrity and combat match-fixing. Thanks to an early warning system, ESSA members are able to identify unusual betting patterns in sport competitions and to immediately inform the competent sports authorities.

Partnership with EU Athletes

In 2010, EGBA entered into a partnership with the European Elite Athletes Association (EU Athletes) to fund a campaign to educate players on match fixing: the Protect Integrity project. The co-funded European Commission project, which is supported by the European Elite Athletes Association, EGBA and the European Sports Security Association (ESSA) began in 2010 and has been prolonged following considerable success. In October 2015, the Protect Integrity project received €488,305 in funding from the European Commission, ensuring that it continues for another 2 years, kicking off in January 2016 until the end of 2017. The project teaches 15.000 professional athletes about sports betting integrity.

Memorandum of Understanding with the IOC

Prior to the Winter Olympics in 2014, EGBA, ESSA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed on a new information reporting arrangement regarding suspicious betting activities. The agreement, which runs until the summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, aims to safeguard major sport competitions from manipulation linked to betting.

CEN Workshop Agreement

All EGBA operators adhere to the Workshop Agreement on “Responsible Remote Gambling Measures” published by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). In absence of pan-European regulations on gambling, the workshop agreement provides for evidence based self-regulatory control measures which aim to create a safe and secure environment for customers throughout the EU.

EGBA News

EGBA publishes a quarterly newsletter discussing current issues of the gambling sector at EU level. The issue of April 2014 featured a contribution[2] from European Commissioner Michel Barnier in which he outlines the achievements and opportunities of and related to the online gambling sector.

The European Online Gambling Sector

Online gambling is a rapidly growing sector within the European Union. Revenues in Europe are expected to reach €13 billion in 2015, up from €9,3 billion in 2009.[3] The online gambling segment is projected to represent 15% of the total European gambling market in 2015.

References

  1. ↑ EGBA promotes Haijer
  2. ↑ Online Gambling: results and challenges for the future
  3. ↑ Gambling in the EU: A long way from harmonised rules

External links

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