Coming Together At Last?
Added: July 28, 2014
Maybe yes, maybe no. However, signs are looking up all over the European Union as far as online casinos and online gambling are concerned. In a recent news release, the European Commission made it clear that they recognize the growing popularity of online gambling. The Commission issued a set of recommendations to address online casinos and online gambling throughout all of the member states.
This news can be considered extraordinary for the online gambling industry. Consider that as of right now, there is no cohesive set of rules or regulations for the 28 member states. The result, as you might expect, is chaos, confusion plus some level of distrust. You see, since there is no single set of regulations covering online gambling, each member states operates as their own little fiefdom, at least as far online gambling regulations are concerned. Some states disallow online gambling of any sort whereas neighboring stats welcome online casino players with open arms.
Yet all that may be on the cusp of changing with this new set of recommendations by the European Commission. Although, it is true that at this point, these are only recommendations, the fact remains that by even bringing up the issue, the Commission is finally acknowledging the increasing popularity of the online casino in the modern world.
What about these recommendations, what is the Commission suggesting? The quick and easy way to look at the recommendations is to look at them as equivalent to consumer protection laws. For example, one of the top recommendations is for online casinos as well as member states take proactive measures to ensure that underage gambling is not permitted.
As you might well expect, another recommendation is for online casino operators provide ongoing support to counteract any trends that may trigger gambling addictions. Likewise, another recommendation is that online gambling company operators be specially trained on how to best interact with online casino players and to spot any possible problems early on.
Yet another recommendation is for online casino operators to only offer what the Commission refers to as “socially responsible advertising”. This most likely means that the Commission would prefer that online gambling advertisements not make wild claims and unrealistic winning projections.
All of that aside, this is a terrific first step for the online casino industry. The European Commission has taken a bold first action by issuing their recommendations. As of now, it is not clear if this will trigger additional interest from the European Parliament.