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The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has asked the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) to create a standardised list of markers of harm in gambling.
The trade group said in an announcement on December 15 that it outlined in its proposal support for an "essential" European standard on markers of harm that would support the early identification of possible risky or problem gambling behaviour of online players.
Maarten Haijer, EGBA secretary general, urged national standardisation bodies, gambling authorities and other stakeholders to support what he calls a “common-sense proposal”.
“A standard would be an essential element to help prevent risky and problem gambling behaviour and support consumer protection,” Haijer said.
CEN, the body responsible for developing standards in Europe, is currently conducting a ballot of its members, the national standardisation bodies (NSBs) of European countries, to determine whether the proposal should be approved, according to the EGBA’s announcement on December 15.
NSBs have until the end of December 2022 to vote.
If the proposal gains enough support from NSBs, a discussion on developing the standards will be launched.
In support of the proposal, a joint statement was sent to the CEN from academics, professionals and organisations working to prevent gambling harm in Europe in support of a European Standardisation Committee (CEN) dated December 13.
The letter claims that the “creation of a standard would support a more efficient and quicker detection of risky gambling behaviour and with it help to achieve the policy objectives of national gambling authorities to protect their citizens from gambling harm”.
Authors of the letter urged national standardisation bodies and their associated mirror committees to support the proposal, adding that CEN already has a technical committee on gambling standardisation (TC/456) which could work to develop this essential standard.
“Creating a standard on markers of harm will require significant collaboration between the research community, harm prevention and health organisations, gambling regulators and operators. This collaboration will provide an important opportunity to take stock of the current research available and to further this research to improve the understanding of problem gambling and support existing harm-prevention policies in Europe,” the letter concludes.
