EU standards To Improve Online Gambling
Brussels, 23rd February 2011
Today will see the publication of the first set of remote responsible gaming measures by the European Standardisation Committee (CEN), which aim to provide greater protection for consumers and more responsible gambling.
CEN agreed the new standards with the help of stakeholders from the industry, academia, players and gaming experts. The standards published today provide a clear list of measures such as self-exclusion, age limits, self-imposed limits, protection of vulnerable gamblers, information about the possible consequences of gambling, and information about where to obtain help in case of addiction.
As a former Home Office Minister in charge of Gambling, I welcome these developments and would like to pay tribute to the industry and its willingness to self regulate. Obviously we need to monitor developments but I hope that this means the new European voluntary standards will provide greater protection for online gamblers, and help control underage participation. The key here is that they are European standards, and they mean that standards in EU Member States will have to rise considerably.
