KPMG was engaged by EGBA to assess member organisations’ consumer protection measures.
The company did so by comparing the publicly available information on the websites of six member firms in Denmark and the UK. These were bet365, Entain, Flutter, Betsson, Kindred and William Hill.
A further comparison was conducted with websites from other sectors, namely social media, financial services, relationship, esports and alcohol retail.
Each was then assessed in regard to five areas: know your customer (KYC), data protection, anti-money laundering (AML), customer safety and advertising. KPMG has now compiled its findings in a 22-page report.
First and foremost, the company found that members’ websites mostly “contained comprehensive and easily accessible information for users within their terms and conditions.”
Excluding one Danish website, every member “clearly set out the requirements for proof of identity when attempting to open an account.”
Meanwhile, all member firms ranked highly in regard to KYC and data protection, while two were found wanting in regard to AML, and one Danish website scored particularly poorly on advertising.
Nevertheless, the six member firms performed well overall, eliciting praise from EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer.
“We welcome the report and its findings, which offers a valuable barometer of the level of consumer protection offered by our members,” he said.
“The purpose of the report is to check how EGBA member companies sit within the bigger world of online services in terms of the consumer protections they offer.
“The findings clearly show that EGBA members have a high commitment to offering their customers a high standard of consumer protection.”
Conversely, “the majority of non-member firms did not have detailed information in all areas on their websites,” excluding financial services, KPMG said.
But this is not unusual, it added, “given the types of services provided by these firms.” All companies, however, had detailed information regarding data protection and advertising.
