The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has welcomed the publication of the European standard on markers of harm in gambling (EN 18144) – hailed as the first of its kind in the industry.
Laid out through the national standards bodies of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the markers of harm act as a voluntary baseline for spotting risky gambling behaviour.
The standard identifies nine “core behavioural markers that operators can use to recognise risky gambling patterns before they escalate”, the trade body said.
They are:
- Changes in stake volume or frequency
- Speed or intensity of play
- Deposit frequency, size, or failed deposits
- Withdrawals and cancelled withdrawals
- Player-initiated contact
- Gambling session duration or time-of-day play
- Use of multiple products
- Net losses or loss trajectories over time
- Changes to safety tools such as limits and self-exclusion
EGBA members proposed this initiative to CEN in 2022 and subsequently actively assisted with its development alongside operators, national authorities, academics and other harm-prevention stakeholders.
The standard – hailed as the first of its kind in the gambling sector – is said to have received overwhelming approval from national standardisation bodies last October.
The EGBA said most of its members already implemented practices to monitor all nine behavioural indicators, as well as “risk-scoring models” to continuously analyse player behaviour and “flag emerging risk patterns”.
Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the EGBA, described the development as “an important milestone for player protection in Europe”.
He added: “When widely adopted, this voluntary standard will lead to earlier identification of risky play and, ultimately, better protection for players.
“Our members are ahead of the curve on implementation – they are already applying many aspects of the standard and are committed to alignment across their European operations.
“We encourage other operators to adopt the standard and help raise the bar on player protection across Europe.”
EN 18144 is available to purchase from national standardisation bodies across Europe.
EGBA members include the likes of Flutter Entertainment, FDJ United, bet365, Entain, Tipico and LeoVegas Group.
Collectively, the trade body’s members hold more than 320 online gambling licences across 21 European countries.
The post EGBA members commit to European standard on gambling markers of harm first appeared on EGR Intel.
Nine behaviours to identify warning signs include changes in stake volume or frequency, speed or intensity of play, as well as failed deposits or cancelled withdrawals
The post EGBA members commit to European standard on gambling markers of harm first appeared on EGR Intel.