EC to request gambling warnings in adverts
European Commission will this week recommend Member States force operators to display gambling warning messages in all advertisements
The European Commission will this week urge Member States to heed its advice and force online gambling operators to insert warnings when advertising products.
Although finer details of its recommendations are unknown, the EC on Wednesday will request that online gambling adverts include notices which outline the potential risk of gambling addiction and advise how help for compulsive gambling can be sought.
The recommendations are expected to be broadly welcomed by industry bodies and come following the publication of the EC’s Action Plan for online gambling in 2012.
“Gambling is undoubtedly a socially sensitive area of entertainment and commerce,” Peter Howitt, chief executive of the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association, told eGaming Review.
“I think it is understandable that stakeholders and regulators want the risks of gambling to be clearly identified to consumers – as long as it is done sensibly and proportionately then the reputable industry operators such as the GBGA members will support it,” he added.
Although not legally binding, the EC will hope Member States adopt the recommendations as it attempts to improve consumer protection within what is estimated to be the fasted growing service industry in the EU.
According to the EC, the remote gambling industry has been growing at a rate of 15% per year with almost 7m Europeans taking part in the activity.
The recommendations, which will also propose a ban on gambling firms sponsoring events aimed at minors, are expected to have little effect on the UK market which already requires responsible gambling messaging with further enhancements currently under review.