Draft European standard on gambling harm markers gets CEN approval
The European Gaming and Betting Association promoted the measure.
Belgium.- The proposed European standard on gambling harm markers has received a positive vote from the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). A strong majority of national standardisation bodies voted in favour of the standard, in what is seen as a milestone for player protection in Europe.
The finalisation process is expected to be complete by early 2026. Once published, the standard will be available for voluntary adoption by gambling regulators and operators across Europe.
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomed the vote. It had proposed this initiative to the CEN with the aim of creating a commonly agreed standard that would benefit players across Europe. It described the positive outcome of the vote as a testament to the power of collaboration across the sector.
Secretary general Maarten Haijer said: “We’re delighted with the support the standard has received, and I want to personally thank all the stakeholders who participated in this process. The result shows what happens when we work together to strengthen player protection.”
Vasiliki Panousi, senior manager of EU Affairs at EGBA, said: “After years of driving this project, through its conception and development, seeing the overwhelming support it has received is incredibly rewarding.
“This will be the first commonly agreed European standard for identifying risky gambling behaviours and it will offer an essential building block for effective harm prevention in Europe. The cooperation to develop the standard was extremely valuable, bringing together diverse expertise from across the continent.”
The project was led by Dr. Maris Catania, while AFNOR – the French standardisation body – coordinated the project as in the CEN. The voting process closed on September 25.
The standard must now go through the formal CEN finalisation process before it will be published. This can take several months, and includes language translations and other procedural requirements.
