The European Lotteries (EL) has published its manifesto ahead of the European Parliament elections.
The document contains eight key points that EL will focus on to maintain support for European communities during the parliament’s next term.
The manifesto begins by emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the role of national lotteries for society, recalling how the EU Council in 2010 recognized the positive impact lotteries make. EL urges policymakers to continue protecting the “sustainable lottery model” to ensure lotteries remain a “force for good in society”.
Next, EL stresses the need to combat illegal operators, supporting the concept of ‘trusted flaggers’ in the new European Digital Services Act as an essential tool to keep illegal offerings out of the EU market.
The third point calls on EU institutions and Member States to ensure all gambling operators pay taxes in the consumer’s country and have the necessary licenses to operate there.
For consumers, EL explicitly states under the fourth point that the European Commission should maintain its current non-legislative approach towards the lottery sector. This will allow Member States to continue ensuring necessary consumer protection at a local level.
In the fifth point, EL advocates for a risk-based approach to advertising. They argue that marketing is crucial for guiding consumers towards legal and safer offerings and should be handled responsibly at a national level, with high-risk games subjected to stricter rules than low-risk ones like lottery games.
EL’s sixth point addresses artificial intelligence (AI), warning that while AI can benefit the industry, it also poses risks. They call for careful assessment of AI implementation in line with existing EU legislations.
Under the seventh point, EL endorses the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions and its definition of ‘illegal sports betting’. They define it as any sports betting activity not allowed under the law of the jurisdiction where the consumer is located.
Finally, the manifesto concludes by highlighting the national lotteries’ sustainability strategy. EL calls on EU policymakers to consider the unique characteristics of lotteries in all future discussions on Europe’s environmental taxonomy.
