The cross border administration cooperation agreement signed by 20 plus European Union jurisdictions this week (see previous report) was welcomed by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) as a solid step towards building confidence and trust.
The voluntary cross border cooperation agreement, initiated by the European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Elżbieta Bieńkowska, will allow for the structural exchange of information and best practices while reducing unnecessary administrative burdens.
The agreement forms part of the ongoing implementation of the Commission’s action plan ‘Towards a comprehensive European framework for online gambling’ of 2012, which inter alia aims to create structural cooperation between national gambling authorities to improve the protection of consumers, minors and ensure the integrity of games.
“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, Secretary General of EGBA, said.
“We encourage the Authorities to address with priority unnecessary administrative costs that make the regulated offer less competitive than the unregulated offer.
“We would like to congratulate Commissioner Bienkowska and her team with today’s success and encourage the Commissioner to continue the implementation of the Commission Action Plan.”