July 17, 2008

EGBA raises the bar for responsible gaming

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has launched a new set of best practice standards aimed at ensuring consistent standards of player protection, fair gaming and responsible operator behaviour in the European online gaming and betting environment.

The EGBA Technical Standards will require all EGBA members to comply with over 170 technical points of best practice in all areas of their operations, ranging from the prevention of underage and problem gaming through to the implementation of responsible and ethical marketing practices.

Compliance with the new standards will be verified by a compulsory annual audit carried out by independent standards and player protection body eCOGRA, itself subject to a regular quality assurance review by auditing firm KPMG.

According to EGBA, this latest self-regulatory initiative on behalf of its members complements legal requirements already imposed by EU licensing jurisdictions.

EGBA chairman Norbert Teufelberger commented: “These standards are a sign of our commitment to an exemplary level of corporate and social responsibility. They could serve as a basis for reflection at a time when governments and regulators across Europe are trying to find ways to best protect consumers in the online gaming and betting environment.”

Andrew Beveridge, chief executive of eCOGRA, added: "Our goal is to ensure that EGBA has a meaningful professional review process for determining each member's compliance with agreed and consistently applied standards, which consumers and regulators have come to expect in the online gaming and betting industry.”

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