The EC is due to publish its new Consumer Agenda later this year, and is currently consulting with various stakeholders on a roadmap to develop its strategy, to which EGBA has submitted data outlining why it should support the development of a single set of consumer rights.

According to EGBA, this specific set of rights for the online gambling sector would ensure increased protection for consumers, improved transparency and legal certainty, as well as balanced and fair contract terms and overall increased security for European online betting consumers.

Additionally, EGBA argues that despite online gambling’s cross-border nature, players are not equally protected across the EU because each member state is responsible for developing its own rules.

“The lack of regulatory consistency jeopardises online players’ safety, as it exposes them to the unregulated and unsafe websites of the black market, which profits to the detriment of the European economy. There are simple rules that can be proposed, to ensure that online players, minors and players who are at risk are equally protected,” EGBA said in its submission to the EC.

The European iGaming market remains the largest in the world, generating a total €22.2billion in gross gaming revenue in 2018, or 49.2% of the global online gambling market.

EGBA’s submission to the EC strategy roadmap comes after publishing its first pan-European Code of Conduct on Responsible Advertising for Online Gambling earlier this year, which the industry body claims will “bridge the gap stemming from inconsistent rules on protecting minors from gambling marketing”.