Gaming regulatory bodies from across Europe recently met to discuss a range of issues, including scratch cards and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Therefore, representatives from Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain met in Vienna to discuss these topics and what should be done to ensure the protection of players.
Regulatory bodies concerned about scratch cards
Collectively, the regulatory bodies have released a statement on the issues of regulating scratch cards and the ECJ’s jurisprudence is set to continue. Two respected European entities made the statement together:
- Spanish regulatory body Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego
- French regulatory body Autorité Nationale des Jeux
The regulators said that with regard to the ECJ’s ongoing preliminary ruling in several countries, although the EU guarantees freedoms of establishment and freedoms to provide services, the court recognizes that member states “may impose proportionate restrictions on these freedoms to regulate gambling and, especially, to protect players through national laws”.
However, regulators noted that many of them “have seen increasing challenges to these principles, particularly through some preliminary decision procedures.”
“We understand that they want to cooperate, or even intervene, in these processes to ensure that the court respects the jurisprudence that protects players.”
But, with regard to scratch cards, the concern is even greater. Due to its popularity in some regions, many parents and minor children share this information.
Therefore, regulatory bodies are committed to working collectively to implement regulation effectively.
The main objective is “the protection of players, especially for minors. We should not introduce them to gambling through this type of offer.”
