The Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF) has been praised by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) over its stance in support of the EU’s plans for a common gambling harm markers framework.
A draft proposal submitted by the EU Committee for Standardisation (CEN)offers positive feedback to a similar initiative that the EGBA put forward on an international level a couple of years prior.
Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, commented: “We very much welcome GREF’s support for this important initiative. The development of a European standard on markers of harm will be a crucial step forward for safer gambling in Europe.
“It will help establish a more common understanding of problem gambling behaviours and raise the bar on player protection across the industry. Collaboration on safer gambling is crucial and we call on all stakeholders participating in the CEN standardisation process to support its finalisation in the coming months.”
The harm markers themselves will be constructed through a collaborative effort between academia, gambling regulators, operators, and harm prevention experts from across Europe. This initiative aims to support European online gambling operators in their efforts to detect and prevent instances of problem gambling behaviours.
These guidelines will be particularly helpful for CEN member states that lack adequate duty of care procedures, but they will also remain completely voluntary under the EU Standardisation Legislation, unless otherwise decided by individual national regulators.