Members of the European Committee for Standardisation, the official body responsible for developing standards in Europe, have voted to create a European standard on markers of harm for online gambling, announced the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA). The proposal was made by EGBA with the goal of strengthening players protection in Europe.

Markers of harm include components like changes in a player’s online gambling behaviour, such as speed, time, and duration of play. All of these can be used in the future to help identify risky or harmful gambling behaviour. These markers are key to the further development of effective early intervention mechanisms targeted towards averting gambling harm. For years, number of organisers have used markers of harm but for now there is no commonly agreed list of behaviours which are defined as markers of harm.

The CEN vote was conducted in December 2022. The creation of the standard will take place in the first quarter of 2023. The CEN process is designed to allow for a wide range of European stakeholders, including academics, health experts, politicians, operators, and consumer organisations, to participate in the discussions via the national delegations represented in CEN. While the final CEN standard will be a voluntary tool, it can also be made legally binding through legislation.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA, commented: “We’re delighted that CEN has approved EGBA’s proposal to establish a standardised list of markers of harm. This decision is a milestone and a significant step forward for safer gambling in Europe. The CEN process will provide a unique and valuable opportunity for key European stakeholders to pull together their resources and expertise to support safer gambling. We look forward to contributing the sector’s knowledge and experience to the process”.

“We support the European Committee for Standardisation’s decision to start work on the development of a European standard for safe online gambling. This topic is really important for gaming operators. Such a document would bring more clarity on safe gaming and it will provide guidance to operators on how to assist customers at risk”, said Angel Iribozov Chairman of the Management Board.

With the assistance of: https://www.egba.eu/