Several European regulators, including the Dutch Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the French Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the Hungarian SZTFH, and the Swedish Spelinspektionen, have supported the joint statement of the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF) on illegal gambling.
GREF brings together 36 European regulators, and some of them have committed to greater cooperation in the fight against illegal gambling and the effective implementation of national regulations for a safer gaming environment.
The statement emphasizes that illegal gambling poses a threat to consumer protection and the development of the legal gambling market. Consumers visiting illegal gambling websites are vulnerable and exposed to numerous risks without any protection. Illegal websites jeopardize the development of the legal market because they fail to meet even the minimum standards expected from legal operators.
GREF calls for increased cooperation among regulators, which would be manifested through regular meetings, exchange of information, expertise, best practices, and jointly coordinated actions against illegal websites. “This collective action should enable better identification and minimization of illegal gambling activities while recognizing that each regulatory authority can freely define what constitutes illegal gambling and utilize enforcement tools provided by its own national regulatory framework,” the statement says.
The aim of the joint cooperation should also be to increase consumer awareness of the risks that players are exposed to on various online platforms or social networks. Therefore, regulators are planning to engage in dialogue with representatives of all platforms, which should not only enhance consumer protection but also contribute to a fairer market for gambling in Europe.
