First Pan-European Consumer Protection Agreement for Online Gambling
In a perfect online gambling world there would be a single global regulatory body applying consistent regulations which all operators must comply with and offering a single avenue of dispute resolution for players to turn to in the event of an issue.
It’s a border-less market market after all so disparate regulatory regimes and dispute resolution processes aren’t ideal.
Any movement towards a unified approach to regulating net gambling I think is a good thing. And the drafting of a consumer protection agreement by CEN is a step in this direction.
Who are CEN, eCogra, and what is this agreement?
eCogra are a well known online gambling regulatory organization, applying operating standards to members and offering an avenue of dispute resolution to players at member casinos. The ambit of their operation is of course limited to disputes involving eCogra certified casinos only.
CEN is the European Committee for Standardization. They are one of three organizations recognized by the EU for putting in place industry guidelines designed to help facilitate the EU’s mandate for a single market across all 31 EU members.
A recent CEN workshop, chaired by eCogra CEO Andrew Beveridge, has resulted in the drafting of CWA 16259 – “Responsible Remote Gambling Measures”. CWA 16259 includes 9 policy objectives and 134 concrete measures to ensure that those objectives are actually met.
The policy objectives are:
- The protection of vulnerable customers
- The prevention of underage gambling
- Combating fraud
- Protection of privacy
- Fair gaming
- Accurate customer payments
- Responsible marketing
- Customer satisfaction
- Safe operating environment
What does this all mean for EU players?
Andrew Beveridge described CWA 16259 as follows:
“Over the last 7 months, CEN has provided the platform for us to make this agreement to secure the high level of protection for consumers across Europe that is vital for the online gambling industry as it matures. eCOGRA intends to bring into line its own eGAP Requirements with these CWA control measures, thereby benefiting eCOGRA, its sealholders and players.
This is self regulation at its best, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders from across the world for the benefit of the consumer. This agreement can only complement existing industry standards and inform both national and EU regulation of online gambling. It has been an honour to be part of and chair this process.”
It’s not law. But is is a widely regarded framework that can be used as a benchmark for regulators in the future and this will lead to a consistent set of rules.
A step in the right direction I think.
Agreed this is a positive step.
Another positive step was also taken today when both the EGBA and RGA came out and publicly endorsed CWA 16259 and encouraged EU Member states to use it as a guide to regulation and player protection measures….
Clive Hawkswood from teh RGA…
This agreement is not limited by national boundaries but will ensure protection for players across Europe.”
Sigrid Ligne, Secretary General for the EGBA…
“I am confident that the CEN agreement will help and inform the many Member States currently regulating the market to achieve a high level of consumer protection.
It will also provide invaluable input for the European Commission’s upcoming Green Paper consultation on online gambling and the follow-up measures that are needed to ensure consumers can play in a European Union regulated environment.”
Hi Thomas
Yes I noticed those announcements, thanks. I think there are a few eCogra members making up the RGA and EGBA (Unibet etc) so their support is not that surprising I don’t think.
Still a good thing though. Hopefully we’ll see similar endorsement from regulators/EU governments and the EC.
cheers
LD