Regulators team-up to tackle unlicensed activity

Regulators from 20 member states of the European Economic Area have signed a landmark information sharing agreement in a bid to crackdown on unlicensed activity and develop common best practice across the continent.

The agreement, which has been established by the European Commission, also aims to reduce administrative burden for participating states and enhance consumer protection procedures.

According to the Commission, the growth of cross-border online gambling has posed new regulatory challenges which “cannot be tackled without efficient cooperation between countries”.

The cooperation agreement, which includes the likes of Great Britain, Italy, Spain and France, forms part of the Commission’s longer-term plan to develop a comprehensive European framework for online gambling.

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomed the voluntary agreement and said it hoped it would result in reducing the competitive edge enjoyed by unlicensed operators.

“The signing of the cooperation agreements between the EU’s Gambling Authorities is a crucial step in building trust and confidence in this inherently cross-border sector,” Maarten Haijer, EGBA secretary general, said.

“We encourage the authorities to address with priority unnecessary administrative costs that make the regulated offer less competitive than the unregulated offer,” he added.

News of the agreement comes after Great Britain’s Gambling Commission signed up to a harmonisation pilot scheme with regulators from Isle of Man, Alderney and the Netherlands.

It is hoped the scheme will develop a single set of testing procedures for games across all participating markets, helping reduce costly duplication and time to market.