The European Casino Association (ECA) has launched its 2025 manifesto, urging the European Union (EU) to collaborate on advancing the success of Europe’s on line casino business. The manifesto comes at a pivotal second with the brand new European Commission taking workplace underneath President Ursula von der Leyen. It marks the start of a recent five-year time period that may form the way forward for EU playing insurance policies.
A Unified Call for Support, Protection, and Promotion
The ECA’s manifesto outlines a transparent framework for the approaching years, constructed on three central pillars: assist, shield, and promote. These pillars replicate the core targets of the ECA because it seeks to contribute to each the expansion of the EU’s playing sector and its broader financial success.
- Support: The ECA is dedicated to aiding EU establishments in guaranteeing a protected, regulated setting for playing. It highlights the rising menace of unlawful playing operators, which not solely evade taxes but in addition gasoline prison exercise. According to the manifesto, these unlawful operations price the EU €10 billion in misplaced tax income yearly.
- Protect: The affiliation underscores its dedication to client security, guaranteeing that the playing business stays reliable and accountable. The ECA helps the accountable gaming initiatives and truthful play laws to safeguard gamers throughout Europe.
- Promote: The ECA advocates for fostering financial development by creating jobs, supporting native communities, and contributing to nationwide and EU GDP. The affiliation argues that authorized, licensed operators have a pivotal position in sustaining financial competitiveness inside Europe, offering a robust distinction to the affect of unlawful operators who drain assets from EU member states.
Combating Illegal Gambling and Enhancing EU Competitiveness
The most urgent difficulty addressed within the manifesto is the specter of unlawful playing, which is quickly rising throughout Europe. The ECA estimates that the unlawful sector contributes as much as €32 billion in unlicensed on-line gaming income. This not solely damages the popularity of licensed operators but in addition poses dangers to client security, as unlawful suppliers don’t adhere to the mandatory checks and safeguards.
The ECA is asking on the EU and member states to reinforce their dedication to combating unlawful playing by enhancing enforcement of anti-money laundering (AML) measures. They additionally urge policymakers to make sure that all playing companies are operated inside nationwide authorized frameworks, emphasizing the necessity for regulatory uniformity throughout the EU.
Furthermore, the manifesto stresses the significance of guaranteeing truthful competitors out there, advocating for a fairer method to taxation and monetary laws for the land-based on line casino sector, which has lengthy been overshadowed by illicit operations.
The Manifesto and Its Reception by Lawmakers
The manifesto has already made waves within the EU, with varied lawmakers responding to the affiliation’s requires motion. While some have supported the initiative, others have raised considerations concerning the affect of the degree 2 AML threat classification for land-based casinos, which is ready to be reviewed within the upcoming European Commission evaluation. Despite differing opinions, the overall consensus seems to favor stricter regulation of the playing sector to guard customers and guarantee truthful practices.
ECA Chair Erwin van Lambaart expressed robust optimism concerning the reform, stating: “This manifesto reflects our commitment to supporting EU efforts in regulating and promoting a safe, responsible gambling environment. We urge EU policymakers to work with us in eliminating illegal gambling and fostering a more secure and competitive marketplace.”
A Strategic Shift for the Gambling Sector
The ECA’s manifesto serves as a blueprintfor the following 5 years, focusing on the regulation of the playing sector and the safety of customers within the European Union. With the backing of main members like Holland Casino, Casinos Austria, and Casino Cosmopol, the ECA goals to leverage its affect to form insurance policies that assist the expansion of a regulated, truthful, and economically viable playing business.
As the European Commission begins to implement its 2024-2029 agenda, the ECA’s imaginative and prescient and the strategic priorities it has outlined on this manifesto are prone to play a vital position in the way forward for the European playing market.
Source:
The European Casino Association Publishes Its Visionary Manifesto for EU Policymakers – European Casino Association, December 1, 2024
