Online gambling
Online gambling is a fast growing service activity in the EU, with annual growth rates of almost 15%. Continued technological innovation is increasing access to online gambling services, particularly across borders. The EC estimates that nearly 7 million Europeans participate in online gambling. The special nature of online gambling services exposes consumers, in particular vulnerable consumers such as children, to a series of risks, including the risk of addiction.
IMCO follows developments in this sector actively and has set out the EP's approach in a series of three resolutions over the past years, emphasizing that whilst it is important to ensure the internal market freedoms of establishment and cross border service provision are respected, gambling is not an ordinary economic activity and the protection of human health and consumers should be the guiding principle for any national or EU -level action.
In response to the EP resolutions, the EC in 2012 produced an action plan for a comprehensive European framework for online gambling. This plan put forward a series of measures to improve the prevention of fraud and money laundering, improvement of administrative cooperation and enforcement between Member States, safeguarding the integrity of sports, ensuring compliance with EU law and the protection of consumers.
In reaction, IMCO prepared a third parliamentary resolution on online gambling, adopted in 2013.
In response to the EP resolutions, the EC in 2012 produced an action plan for a comprehensive European framework for online gambling. This plan put forward a series of measures to improve the prevention of fraud and money laundering, improvement of administrative cooperation and enforcement between Member States, safeguarding the integrity of sports, ensuring compliance with EU law and the protection of consumers.
In reaction, IMCO prepared a third parliamentary resolution on online gambling, adopted in 2013.