EGBA members commit to independent advertising monitoring during EURO 2020
08.06.2021
EGBA members have reconfirmed their commitment towards responsible advertising by ensuring that their compliance with EGBA’s code of conduct on responsible advertising is closely monitored by an independent body during the rescheduled EURO 2020. Monitoring is essential to help raise the bar in responsible advertising standards.
Monitoring of the European Gaming and Betting Association’s (EGBA) pan-European code of conduct on responsible advertising for online gambling has begun. The first monitoring exercise[1] will test the compliance of EGBA’s member companies with the code during the rescheduled EURO 2020 football championships, a period when gambling advertising will be particularly visible.
The monitoring will be conducted by the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), the European association of advertising standards bodies.[2] As part of the monitoring, Nielsen, a global analytics company with specialisation in advertising tracking, will track the advertising content of EGBA members across TV, social media and digital advertising mediums in 4 specific EU countries: Greece, Romania, Sweden, and Ireland. EASA will provide EGBA with an analysis of the tracking results, which may include recommendations to support compliance with the code and improve the overall effectiveness of the code.
EGBA’s code of conduct on responsible advertising applies to its members, and their operations in the EU and UK, and is open for signature from other online gambling companies. Monitoring is an essential part of any effective self-regulatory measure and is a requirement under the EGBA code. Compliance with the code will be monitored regularly and all monitoring results will feed into EGBA’s ongoing dialogues with EASA and national advertising regulators in the EU to support the code’s effectiveness.
“EGBA members are committed to advertising in a socially responsible way, even more so during prominent events like the EURO 2020 football championships. EGBA’s responsible advertising code puts this commitment into action and independent third-party monitoring of the code will support both compliance and trust in the code. Advertising is a hot topic in many countries and the gambling sector must take more responsibility for the content and tone of its advertising. We hope gambling authorities around Europe will acknowledge the efforts made by EGBA members to raise the bar in responsible advertising standards.” – Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA.
[1] The monitoring exercise covers the period of 20 May 2021 to 20 July 2021.
[2] EASA conducted the original gap analysis exercise of EGBA’s code of conduct. While EGBA has consulted with EASA regularly for advice on its code of conduct on responsible advertising, this in no way implies that EASA or its members endorse EGBA’s code.
About EASA
The European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) is the single authoritative voice on advertising self-regulation issues in Europe. Advertising self-regulation helps ensure that ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful and by doing so helps create consumer trust in advertising and in brands. EASA has a network of 42 organisations representing 28 advertising standards bodies (also called self-regulatory organisations) from Europe and 13 organisations representing the advertising ecosystem (the advertisers, agencies, the media) and 1 digital pure play company.
About EGBA
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is the Brussels-based trade association representing the leading online gaming and betting operators established, licensed and regulated within the EU, including bet365, Betsson Group, Entain, Kindred Group, and William Hill. The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS) is also an affiliate member. EGBA works together with national and EU regulatory authorities and other stakeholders towards a well-regulated and well-channeled online gambling market which provides a high level of consumer protection and takes into account the realities of the internet and online consumer demand. EGBA member companies meet the highest regulatory standards and have 145 online gambling licenses to provide their services to 16 million customers in 17 different European countries.
About Nielsen
Nielsen is a leading global data and analytics company that provides a holistic and objective understanding of the media industry. With offerings spanning audience measurement, audience outcomes and content, Nielsen offers its clients and partners simple solutions to complex questions and optimizes the value of their investments and growth strategies. Nielsen Global Media (now Nielsen) provides the media and advertising industries with unbiased and reliable metrics that create a shared understanding of the industry required for markets to function.
