The bookmakers of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) have committed to the organisation’s Code of Conduct regarding responsible advertising during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship.
Ahead of the upcoming continental tournament, the EGBA has reminded all bookmakers that its code-of-conduct applies across both EU and UK jurisdictions, regardless of national standards on advertising practices related to online gambling.
The code of conduct was initially launched by the Brussels based trade body last April to ease regulatory concerns on gambling advertising during the height of Europe’s COVID-19 pandemic.
Guiding the development of the code has been the EU’s ‘Audio Visual Media’ directive, which places an emphasis on content moderation, protection of minors and responsible messaging.
“EGBA members are committed to advertising in a socially responsible way, even more so during prominent events like the EURO 2020 football championships,” said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of the EGBA.
“EGBA’s responsible advertising code puts this commitment into action and independent third-party monitoring of the code will support both compliance and trust in the code.”
The monitoring of bookmakers’ advertising will be conducted by the continental association of advertising standards bodies – the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA).
EASA’s monitoring will be supported by global broadcast analytics agency Nielsen, tracking advertising across traditional and digital mediums.
Monitoring activities, EASA will provide the EGBA with an analysis of its results, which may include recommendations to support compliance with the code and improve the overall effectiveness of the code.
Haijer added: “Advertising is a hot topic in many countries and the gambling sector must take more responsibility for the content and tone of its advertising. We hope gambling authorities around Europe will acknowledge the efforts made by EGBA members to raise the bar in responsible advertising standards.”
The announcement comes as betting advertising during professional sports tournaments comes under increasing public and political scrutiny – particularly in the UK due to the overhaul of the country’s gambling regulations.
Scottish National Party MP Ronnie Cowan recently called for a suspension of gambling advertising during the upcoming competition, prompting broadcaster ITV to respond with a statement that it would ‘significantly reduce’ the amount of betting marketing shown during its coverage.
