GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 31 - February 2015

The industry is moving forward, but is it moving in the right direction? By Sarah Kostense-Winterton T he gambling industry is one of the most innovative, creative and forward-thinking industries that I have worked with in my 18 years as a politi- cal consultant. That’s why it has held my attention for nearly 10 of those years. It has approached challenges with de- termination and sheer grit combined with the use of law and research-based evidence. As it evolves, it continues to brim with energy, intelligence and some of the biggest characters I know. It is an industry at the forefront of eCom- merce, although it is reluctant to com- municate this. The online gambling industry today isn’t significantly different from what it was 10 years ago. The EU landscape looks like a jigsaw of gambling leg- islation, regulation and tax, flying in the face of the much-voiced European Union’s single-market dream. It ap- pears that this dream may stay just that. However, the gambling industry has not helped itself and appears to have remained static in its approach. It still relies heavily on the legal approach even though it has not produced the de- sired results thus far. The limited suc- cess which has been secured has been achieved through member states’ desire to raise revenue and attempt to protect their own interests. The industry appears to be nervous about standing out from the crowd, reluctant to implement a different strat- egy in jumping hurdles. Historically, it is fragmented, divided and even suspi- cious of others in its own sector. It talks of wishing to speak with one voice, but seems unable to act on its words. True cooperation across industry segments — such as the lotteries, online and land- based areas — remains rare. One of the first real examples of posi- tive industry-led initiatives and the industry working together was the 2010 CEN workshop agreement (CWA) on Responsible Remote Gambling Measures. The first independent, volun- tary standard of its kind, the agreement aimed to push online gaming into being a respected and responsible provider of entertainment. With the help of Peter Reynolds at bwin.party, I introduced this initiative and spent two years try- ing to persuade people within the in- dustry of its potential merits. However, even this effort has not realized its po- tential and we still await the next step leading to a full European standard for consumer protection measures across the continent. The industry may even risk losing control of this issue as the European Commission eyes a potential Commission-mandated standard. In the context of responsible remote gaming, there has been little attempt to address the industry’s own reputa- tional or perception issues and the tone remains defensive. We are beginning to see some positive developments in this area and hope that they are built upon not just by trade bod- ies but by individual operators as well. These developments are timely as so- cial responsibility encompassing con- sumer protection is a favorite of politi- cians and is here to stay. We will only see increased focus from our legisla- tive and regulatory masters. Projects such as the independent, but industry- backed Senet Group and the Maltese regulator’s launch of its Responsible 15 The industry is moving forward, but is it moving in the right direction?