Gambling operators highly compliant with measures for protection of minors, EGBA report finds

The trade body has published findings from its second monitoring assessment of its pan-European responsible advertising code.

Belgium.- The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has hailed the results of the second monitoring assessment of its pan-European responsible advertising code for online gambling advertising. Undertaken by the independent Brussels-based European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), an association that represents European self-regulatory organisations for advertising, this second report focused on measures for protecting minors.

The monitoring exercise, which concluded in December 2024, assessed 120 advertisements from EGBA members across multiple platforms including television, YouTube, websites and social media channels in four selected markets: Greece, Spain, Romania and the UK. Self-regulatory organisations (SROs) in these markets assessed the compliance of the advertisements with the EGBA code and national regulatory and self-regulatory requirements, focusing particularly on content moderation, managing exposure of minors, and safeguards against minors’ access to gambling content online.

The report found high compliance in traditional advertising but identified areas for improvement in social media. On television and YouTube platforms, the assessment found a successful implementation of key minor protection measures such as age-limit requirements and restrictions on the use of celebrities and cartoon characters. Social media advertising showed strong adherence to age-limit symbol requirements, but the report identified a need for more consistent application of age-gating mechanisms and forward advice notices across members’ social media profiles.

The assessment of influencer marketing practices of two EGBA members, in Spain and the UK, revealed strong compliance with content moderation and appeal restrictions while highlighting the need for enhanced transparency through consistent use of paid marketing disclosures (e.g. using an #ad hashtag).

EGBA said its members will use the monitoring results to further enhance the effectiveness of the code and that it will continue to advocate for responsible advertising practices across the entire European gambling sector. It has also invited operators who are not members of EGBA to sign up to the code.

Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the EGBA

Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the EGBA, said: “This latest monitoring exercise demonstrates our members’ commitment to responsible advertising and minor protection. While we’re encouraged by our members’ high compliance rates across traditional media channels, we recognise there’s more work to be done in the social media space. At EGBA, we’re dedicated to promoting the highest advertising standards and will continue to work with our members to strengthen compliance with our code across all platforms.”

The EGBA presented its responsible advertising code in 2020. The first monitoring exercise was conducted by EASA in 2022. It found that the EGBA code provided “a solid basis for responsible advertising” and that EGBA members already applied most of the code’s measures.

EASA suggested some improvements to strengthen the code and its application. It suggested more clarity in responsible gambling messages in adverts (both in terms of legibility and speed), the explicit mention of legal age requirements for online gambling and the use of age-gating mechanisms on social media profiles.