The European Parliament has approved a resolution for online gambling that includes increased cooperation between member states on issues of consumer protection and money laundering.
The resolution was approved by 572 votes to 79, with 61 abstentions, according to GozoNews.com.
According to a report by Ashley Fox, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), gambling is an activity of a special nature that must be accompanied by strong consumer protection in addition to improved cooperation among member states to battle fraud, money laundering and match-fixing in sports, while respecting the subsidiarity principle.
One of the safeguards recommended by MEP’s is the introduction of uniform common systems for electronic identification in order to prevent minors from accessing online gambling sites, as well as to limit accounts to one per player.
MEP’s also invite member states to place a regulatory authority emblem or ‘trust mark’ on legitimate sites to help players easily identify them.
Chair of the online gambling section at the Chamber of Commerce, George Debrincat, said of the resolution: “It is interesting to note that the report underlines what existing regulators and the EU-licensed industry have acknowledged for years, including the need to ensure fair gaming and betting products, high responsible gaming standards and consumer protection, prevention of money laundering and other criminal activity, the right to privacy, as well as the need to keep up to speed with technical developments.”
When asked about points in the resolution he disagrees with, Debrincat said that there still seems to be prejudices against the online industry, such as ‘the dangers of the internet.’ He says: “There is no evidence indicating that the online environment presents higher risks than land-based services. On the contrary, it offers a unique opportunity to detect problem gamblers and it enables an offer of responsible gaming tools such as self-assessment tests, budgets and self-exclusion.”
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