The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) has voted to create a European standard on markers of harm for online gambling.
The proposal was submitted to CEN by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) with the aim of supporting safer online gambling and strengthening player protection in Europe.
Work to create the standard is expected to commence during this quarter.EGBA has long maintained that a standardised list of markers of harm should be established to address issues faced by European operators in preventing gambling-related harm.
Milestone decision
EGBA secretary general Maarten Haijer commented: “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,” he added.The CEN process is designed to allow for a wide range of European stakeholders, including academics, health experts, gambling authorities, operators, and consumer organisations, to participate in the discussions via the national delegations represented in CEN.
Potentially legally binding
While the final CEN standard will be a voluntary tool, EGBA said it can also be made legally binding through legislation.Markers of harm are changes in a player’s online gambling behaviour, such as speed, time, and duration of play, that can be used to help identify risky or harmful gambling behaviour.
These markers are essential to the further development of effective early intervention mechanisms aimed at preventing gambling-related harm.
Many organisations, including the health sector and gambling operators, already use markers of harm, but to date there is no commonly agreed list of behaviours which constitute markers of harm.