SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has reaffirmed that its members will observe its Code-of-Conduct on responsible advertising throughout the course of a rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 Championships (11 June to 11 July).
The Brussels based trade body launched its code-of-conduct on responsible advertising last April, to ease regulatory concerns on gambling advertising during the height of Europe’s COVID-19 pandemic
Guiding the development of the code has been the EU’s ‘Audio-Visual Media Directive’, which places an emphasis on content moderation, protection of minors and responsible messaging.
The monitoring of members’ advertising will be conducted by the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) – Europe’s association of advertising standards bodies.
EASA’s monitoring will be supported by global broadcast analytics agency Nielsen, tracking advertising across traditional and digital mediums.
Monitoring activities, EASA will provide the EGBA with an analysis of its results, which may include recommendations to support compliance with the code and improve the overall effectiveness of the code.
The EGBA reminds all operators that its code-of-conduct applies across all EU and UK jurisdictions, regardless of national standards on advertising practices related to online gambling.
“EGBA members are committed to advertising in a socially responsible way, even more so during prominent events like the EURO 2020 football championships. EGBA’s responsible advertising code puts this commitment into action and independent third-party monitoring of the code will support both compliance and trust in the code.” remarked EGBA Secretary-General, Maarten Haijer,
“Advertising is a hot topic in many countries and the gambling sector must take more responsibility for the content and tone of its advertising. We hope gambling authorities around Europe will acknowledge the efforts made by EGBA members to raise the bar in responsible advertising standards.”
