European countries take a step forward for safer gambling in Europe

Members of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), the official body in charge of developing standards in Europe, have approved a proposal made by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) to establish a common European standard of markers of harm with the goal of supporting safer online gambling and strengthening player protection in Europe.

Markers of harm are “changes in player’s online gambling behavior such as speed, time and duration of play, that can be used to help identify risky or harmful gambling behavior” according to EGBA. These markers are essential to the further development of effective early intervention mechanisms aimed at preventing gambling-related harm. Many organizations are already using them but there is no commonly agreed list of behaviors which constitute markers of harm. EGBA’s proposal to create a CEN standard aims to resolve that problem in Europe. The work to create the standard is expected to start during the first quarter of the year.

“We are delighted that CEN has approved EGBA’s proposal to establish a standardized list of markers of harm, and we thank its members for their support. This decision is a milestone and a significant step forward for safer gambling in Europe. We also thank our members for their strong commitment to safer gambling and unwavering support to make this proposal possible. The CEN process will provide a unique and valuable expertise to support safer gambling. We look forward to contributing the sector’s knowledge and experience to the process”, said Marteen Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA.