Differences in the control of gambling addiction throughout Europe
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has echoed a new study in which significant differences have been detected in the monitoring and control of gambling addiction throughout Europe. The study has reviewed the action frameworks of 20 European countries during the period 2015-2020. The biggest problem is the lack of a common approach to monitoring problem gambling, which makes it difficult to understand it and, consequently, find effective methods to combat it, the study concludes.
The declared levels of gambling addiction range from 0.3 to 6.4% in Europe. This is evident from the study made public by the pan-European association EGBA. ©ben frost/Unsplash
In its commitment to fostering a culture of safe play , the EGBA, the pan-European association that brings together the main continental operators (bet365, Betsson, Flutter, Entain, William Hill, among others), has commissioned a new study on problem gambling it has been published by the City, University of London by Dr. Margaret Carran.
The 20 countries that have been part of the study from Dr. Carran are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The absence of Germany, one of the largest European markets, stands out; although the Teutonic country has barely ordered its regulatory framework recently.
A common approach to the problem of gambling addiction is necessary in Europe
The report has revealed that the methods of control and monitoring of problem gambling vary greatly between the jurisdictions under study; even the adopted definition of problem gambling varies. Among them, only the UK conducts quarterly monitoring , the most frequent; while Denmark does so at a 5-year interval. In 8 jurisdictions (Portugal among them) there is no established framework for the control of gambling addiction or its monitoring is not carried out at the national level.
The declared levels of gambling addiction range from 0.3% to 6.4% for the countries analyzed, although the report points out that the differences in the methods and tools used make a real comparison between countries difficult. The cumulative figures for New Zealand and the United Kingdom would be among the lowest on the continent, and the highest would be located in the countries of Eastern Europe. Anyway, you have to be careful when interpreting the percentages since you have to take into account a whole series of variables in the way the data have been collected.
Although it is difficult to establish general trends, it seems that the figures for problem gambling would have declined overall in the period to consider; although in New Zealand the figure of self-excluded from online gambling it has increased during 2021 .
The situation in New Zealand
New Zealand is one of the countries where regular monitoring of problem gambling is carried out, although this is clearly insufficient . It boils down to gambling-related questions in general health and lifestyle surveys. But it is difficult for the real number of people with gambling or problem gambling problems to come out in these.
According to the FEJAR, the Spanish Federation of Rehabilitated Gambling Players , there are more than half a million undiagnosed gambling addicts in New Zealand , although the figure not only has to do with gambling but covers all forms of gambling, including video games. One of the added problems is that problem gambling behaviors are observed among an increasingly younger population, between the ages of 18 and 25. For this very reason, the regulation of loot boxes or reward, as well as from the games play-to-earn it seems fundamental within the framework of a law on responsible gambling.
In this context, the promotion initiated by the SELAE for encourage betting activity among the youngest, as indicated in a strategic report of the public operator. It is expected that the steps taken by the government last year with the Royal Decree on Responsible Gambling that would not have passed the draft phase yet will bear fruit by the end of this 2022. In this regard, one of the most anticipated legal frameworks is the Royal Decree that would regulate safe online gaming environments . In the General Budgets approved for 2022, the Ministry of Consumption benefited from a significant budget increase that will result in programs for the regulation and surveillance of gambling .
In the conclusions of her study, Dr. Carran has emphasized the need to consider an approach to the problem of gambling that takes into account the use of pan-European surveys for adults on the subject of gambling , which would ensure that the issue of problem gambling was analyzed and evaluated in the same period of time for all countries and using the same methodological tools, thus being able to generate a more constructive and practical debate based on reliable evidence and away from interested speculation.
