EGBA calls for European Commission to bring back Expert Group on Gambling

EGBA members from 14 EU states have written to European Commissioner Thierry Breton about the issue, in an attempt to establish a more coordinated approach to regulating a European gambling market estimated to be worth €100bn per year.

The inaugural Expert Group, made up of representatives from several European gambling authorities, was disbanded in 2018 despite the fact that it EGBA said it was widely considered a success by most regulators.

EGBA also pointed out that disbanding the group meant that there was now no framework for co-operation across the €100m European gambling market. It added that many issues in gambling such as money laundering and illegal gambling are cross-border issues.

The group was used as a forum to share information and best practices for market regulation.

EGBA secretary general Maarten Haijer said: “There is currently no EU framework for gambling regulators to even communicate, let alone to jointly tackle the big issues affecting Europe’s online gambling sector. Most of these issues are cross-border in nature and require common solutions. 

“We therefore welcome the strong commitment to regulatory cooperation and call to action from the majority of Europe’s gambling regulators. The message to the European Commission is clear: both gambling regulators and the sector itself are united in support of the Expert Group and call upon the Commission to reinstate the Expert Group.”