The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), a non-profit body responsible for developing standards in Europe, has released a draft framework for identifying gambling harm markers across Europe. This framework aims to standardize how online gambling operators detect risky behaviour and protect players more effectively.
Markers of Harm in online gambling are changes in gambling behaviour that could indicate risky or harmful gambling behaviour. The development of a common framework for these markers is a crucial step towards ensuring responsible gambling and protecting players from potential harm.
The draft proposes a standardized set of behavioural markers to help online gambling operators across Europe identify and address problematic gambling behaviours.
The initiative builds on the European Gaming and Betting Association (“EGBA”) suggestion for a unified model of problem gambling identification. It brings together academia, gambling regulators, operators, and harm prevention experts from across Europe, ensuring a broad, expert-backed foundation for the framework.
Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA, stated, "The development of a European standard on markers of harm will be a crucial step forward for safer gambling in Europe. It will help establish a more common understanding of problem gambling behaviours and raise the bar on player protection across the industry."
The Gaming Regulators European Forum (“GREF”) also expressed support, emphasising that a common guidebook for problem gambling behaviours will benefit countries with loose or absent duty-of-care regulations.
While compliance remains voluntary under EU Regulation 1025/2012, individual countries may choose to make adherence mandatory.
Lee Hills, SolutionsHub CEO commented "In our view, this is a meaningful milestone towards a unified approach and operators should be engaging with and understanding markers of harm to play a critical role in shaping the future and contributing to ongoing discussions around responsible gambling.
A common framework is coming, the only question is when. Once here, it provides a systematic approach to identifying potential harms and triggers for intervention.
The development of this framework, recent support from the EU and ongoing collaboration across the industry indicate strong momentum towards safer gambling practices across Europe. As this framework continues to advance, operators, regulators, and other stakeholders must work together to implement and refine these standards for maximum effectiveness."
Comments