Finland Times

K-18 and a warning sign at the Slot Machine game lobby at the door of the Kamppi shopping center. Photo- Lehtikuva.

The European Commission on Monday adopted a recommendation on online gambling services with the view to encourage the member states to pursue a high level of protection for consumers, players and minors through adoption of principles for online gambling services.

 

The recommendation will also be helpful to ensure responsible advertising and sponsorship of such services, said a press release of the European Union.

 

The recommended principles are aimed at safeguarding health and minimising eventual economic harm that may result from compulsive or excessive gambling.

 

“Today’s recommendation delivers one of the core elements of the commission’s 2012 action plan on online gambling services,” said Vice-President Michel Barnier responsible for Internal Market and Services.

 

“We must better protect all citizens, and in particular our children, from the risks associated with gambling. We now look to the member states, but also to online gambling operators, to match our ambition for a high level of consumer protection throughout the EU in this fast growing digital sector,” said Barnier.

 

The commission’s recommendation sets out a number of principles that the member states are invited to take up in their gambling regulations.

 

It lays out the basic information requirements for gambling websites to ensure in particular that consumers are provided with sufficient information to understand the risks related to gambling.

 

Commercial communication (advertising and sponsorship) should be carried out in a responsible way, the recommendation says.

 

It says the member states should ensure that minors are not able to gamble online and that rules are in place to minimise their contact with gambling, including through advertising or promotion of gambling services, whether broadcast or displayed.

 

According to the recommendation, there should be a registration process to open a player account so that consumers have to provide details of age and identity for verification by the operators. 

 

This should also enable operators to keep track of player’s behaviour and raise the alarm if necessary, said the guidelines.

 

Ongoing support should be available to players to prevent gambling-related problems by equipping them with tools to keep gambling under control: possibilities to set spending limits during the registration process, to get information alerts about winnings and losses whilst playing, and to take time out from gambling.

 

The EC also recommends that players should have access to helplines they can call for assistance about their gambling behaviour and they should be able to easily exclude themselves from gambling websites.

 

Advertising and sponsorship of online gambling services should be more socially responsible and transparent. For example, it should not make unfounded statements about chances of winning, exert pressure to gamble, or suggest that gambling resolves social, professional, personal or financial problems.

 

The member states are recommended to ensure that training is provided to employees of online gambling operators interacting with players to ensure they understand problem gambling issues and are able to liaise with the players appropriately.

 

The member states are also invited to carry out awareness-raising campaigns about gambling and related risks as well as to collect data about the opening and closing of player accounts and breaches of commercial communication rules.

 

The member states should also designate competent regulatory authorities to help ensure, in an independent manner, effective monitoring of compliance with the recommendation, the press release added.