Press Releases

23.03.2020

BRUSSELS, 23 March 2020 – Global concerns about the coronavirus (COVID19) have led to a 11% drop in forecasted global gambling revenues in 2020* - with 2020 global gambling gross win downgraded from its pre-COVID19 forecasts of $473bn to $421bn (close to 2016 levels), according to industry analysts H2 Gambling Capital's new weekly COVID Impact Tracker. While H2 Gambling Capital expect an increase in online activity, with the online gambling sector moving from 13.2% to a 15.7% share of global gambling revenue, the unprecedented shutdown of major sports events across the globe will hit overall revenues across the entire gambling sector (both offline and online). Currently major sports events suspended or canceled due to the virus include football's the English Premier League, Spain’s la Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and the European Champions League, as well as The Masters golf major, and the UK’s Grand National horserace - all major events for European bookmakers. In...

10.03.2020

BRUSSELS, 10 March 2020 - The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the European Commission’s action plan for the enforcement of EU single market rules[1] published today and urges the Commission to ensure online sectors and consumers truly benefit from the single market. EGBA agrees that implementation and enforcement of EU law is a joint responsibility of both the European Commission and Member States. But that joint responsibility does not negate the special role of the European Commission as the guardian of the Treaties to ensure EU law is adhered to, as well as its role in supporting Member States to avoid potential infringement by scrutinizing their draft laws and maintaining dialogue via the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) notifications. In this respect, EGBA welcomes the Commission’s firm commitment to strictly ensure that Member States properly notify all their draft laws to the Commission. The EU single market cannot...

11.12.2019

Europe’s online gambling market grew 11% - from €20 billion gross gaming revenue (GGR)[1] in 2017 to €22.2 billion GGR in 2018 – according to market data published today 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 Group PLC, MRG, and ZEAL Network, who combined had a total of 121 online gambling licenses across 20 EU...

04.09.2019

BRUSSELS, 04 September 2019 - A new study by the European Parliament has found that deepening EU digital single market (DSM) rules to include online gambling could deliver nearly €6 billion in savings for EU consumers and businesses per year and fill existing gaps in Europe’s consumer protection framework. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the findings and calls on EU policy makers to introduce a single set of rules for online gambling. The study[1], presented to the Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) during its session on 2-3 September, evaluated the benefits of existing DSM measures and outlined the potential economic benefits for citizens and businesses by further deepening DSM policies. The study found that the EU could potentially generate €5.6 billion per year in societal welfare and consumer benefits by including online gambling – a sector worth €20 billion per year – in the...

28.05.2019

Following the recent European elections, the political focus in Brussels is now firmly on who will get which of the EU’s top jobs. With intense debate about who will become the much-coveted President of the next European Commission, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) brings you the latest odds from the betting markets for the Spitzenkandidaten race. The betting odds are displayed as ratios and forecasted percentage win probability. Also indicated are the changes to the betting odds compared to October 2018, when the market opened.   Betting odds - Next EU Commission President (Source: Ladbrokes) Manfred Weber (EPP) – 2/1 (33.3%). Improved from 2/1 (33.3%) in October 2018. Michel Barnier (EPP) – 3/1 (25%). Improved from 16/1 (5.9%) in October 2018. Margrethe Vestager (ALDE) – 3/1 (25%). Improved from 20/1 (4.8%) in October 2018. Frans Timmermans (S&D) – 8/1 (11.1%). Improved from 25/1 (3.8%) in October 2018. Other...

27.05.2019

Brussels, Today – European Economy ministers have called on the European Commission to propose measures to modernise Europe’s single market to make it fit for purpose in the digital age. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the Competitiveness Council’s conclusions and urges the incoming European Commission and Parliament to ensure Europe’s online consumers are put at the center of EU single market policies. Making the single market work for online consumers fundamentally requires the European Commission to act when Member States do not correctly apply existing single market rules in the online world. Unfortunately, the current European Commission has failed to fully enforce the freedom to provide services in many online sectors - including online gambling where in 2017 it decided to shelve infringement cases in the sector. This political decision has been to the detriment of the many Europeans who like to place a bet online, who...