Newsletters

December 2019

Europe’s monthly online gambling news EU: EGBA and H2 Gambling publish new data on EU market size Europe’s online gambling market grew 11% – from €20 billion gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2017 to €22.2 billion GGR in 2018 – according to market data published on 11 December by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) in partnership with H2 Gambling Capital. The data confirms the ongoing popularity of online gambling in the EU. According to the new data, covering the 2018 market year, EGBA members had 16.5 million active customers and generated €5.41 billion in online gambling GGR – accounting for 24% of the total EU online gambling market. The annual data collection includes data on the overall EU online gambling market and EGBA member companies – including information about their market value, payments, games, sports, customers, licensing and compliance. EGBA represents bet365, Betsson Group, GVC Holdings PLC, Kindred...

December 2019

With several countries adopting new measures related to gambling advertising over the past year, it seems appropriate that advertising should be the topic for this Winter edition of our Online Gambling Focus newsletter. As well as enabling companies to highlight their products and offers to potential or existing customers, a major benefit of gambling advertising is that it directs consumers towards those gambling operators who are licensed in a given EU country. Having said that, there are risks that advertising exposes minors and other vulnerable groups to gambling. The challenge is how to strike the right balance: allowing advertising which is responsible, sufficiently directs betting consumers to the regulated gambling websites and does not entice problem gamblers or young people to gamble. In this issue we are pleased to have contributions from Prof. Mark Griffiths, of Nottingham Trent University, who elaborates on research in this area, and William Fenton, from...

November 2019

Europe’s monthly online gambling news EU: EGBA publishes overview map of Europe’s licensing models for online gambling Looking back 10 years ago, most EU member states had either no regulations at all for online gambling or online gambling regulation was based on a monopoly model which only permitted state-owned entities to provided online gambling in that country. In 2009, 21 of the current EU member states had either monopolies or prohibitions, while only 7 EU member states had multi-license regimes to enable private online gambling companies to obtain a license to provide their services in that country. Fast forward to today and the situation has changed dramatically, with the overwhelming majority of EU member states now having adopted multi-license regimes. 26 EU member states have a multi-license regime, with only 1 EU member state (Finland) still retaining an exclusive monopoly model and 1 EU member state (Slovenia) having no online...

November 2019

Europe’s monthly online gambling news EU: EGBA's Online Gambling Focus – Autumn 2019 As a new mandate of the European Union (EU) institutions begins, it seems appropriate to review the EU’s approach to online gambling in this Autumn edition of our Online Gambling Focus newsletter. Many of the concerns about online consumer protection in gambling are crossborder in nature and affect consumers regardless of where they live. But regulating a borderless online environment requires policies which are responsive, flexible, and borderless – that go beyond national borders to establish a more common European regulatory basis. These issues will be explored further in this edition and we're delighted to be joined by Dr Margaret Carran of the City University of London who gives her perspective on the regulatory situation for online gambling in the EU and the implications of this for good regulation and ensuring a safe and consistent online gambling...

October 2019

As a new mandate of the European Union (EU) institutions begins, it seems appropriate to review the EU’s approach to online gambling in this Autumn edition of our Online Gambling Focus newsletter. Many of the concerns about online consumer protection in gambling are crossborder in nature and affect consumers regardless of where they live. But regulating a borderless online environment requires policies which are responsive, flexible, and borderless – that go beyond national borders to establish a more common European regulatory basis. These issues will be explored further in this edition and I’m delighted to be joined by Dr Margaret Carran of the City University of London who gives her perspective on the regulatory situation for online gambling in the EU and the implications of this for good regulation and ensuring a safe and consistent online gambling environment. Don’t want to miss the latest news? Sign up here to receive...

September 2019

Europe’s monthly online gambling news EGBA: Five reasons why more EU policy would benefit online gamblers As the new EU term begins, much attention has already been given to the importance of making Europe’s digital economy work better for European consumers. Ensuring the EU single market embraces the digital reality and is less impeded by national barriers is a major challenge, but one that EU policymakers must grapple with to prevent Europe’s economy being left behind by global digital transformation. And while much progress has already been made in terms of the EU digital single market rules, it is vital to ensure these rules harmoniously intersect to safeguard the rights of consumers and promote the interests of online businesses. Because today the online economy goes far beyond music streaming, or buying a book online, and includes almost anything you could imagine — including placing a bet on the outcome of...