EGBA urges EC to focus on single market rules implementation

The association asked the incoming commission and Parliament to focus on better implementing those rules.

Belgium.- The European Council met in Brussels on Friday and it invited the Commission to come up with a long-term action plan for better implementation of Europe’s Single Market rules. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) released a statement after this meeting and urged the European Commission and Parliament to focus on ensuring that those rules are better implemented and enforced to benefit European consumers.

The call from EGBA particularly focuses in the online environment. EGBA believes that the Council’s conclusions are “timely and justified,” the statement reads. “Despite the Digital Single Market being high up the political agenda over the past years, it has not been sufficiently developed to enable Europe’s citizens to benefit from the full potential of a truly functional and integrated online Single Market.”

EGBA said that making the Digital Single Market work for EU citizens who bet or play poker online is crucial because nowadays they are less protected than a person who “buys a ticket or a book online.” A recent study from the City University of London unveiled that only one country – Denmark – has fully implemented the Commission’s guidelines aimed at providing EU citizens a basic set on consumer protection measures dedicated to responsible gambling.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), said: “It is 2019: if the EU is really serious about making the digital single market work for its consumers, then the Commission should enforce EU law in all online sectors, including online gambling.

“We call on the Commission to fulfill its task as the Guardian of the Treaties by enforcing EU law in the whole online environment. The Commission should also reinstate the regulatory cooperation between Member States in online gambling, to allow structured dialogue and help improve cross-border cooperation and the protection of consumers. It is time for the Commission to act.”