Regulators from France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain have released a joint statement before the World Cup begins on 20 November, reminding operators to keep responsible gambling and player protection in mind as the tournament runs.
The regulators met in Paris, France on 15 November. L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the gambling regulator for France, said that the meeting saw a number of key issued being discussed that would affect betting during the World Cup.
“This meeting was an opportunity to address several topics, including the fight against illegal offers and the protection of players and advertising during the World Cup,” read the statement.
“On the latter topic, regulators agreed to commit to working together to closely monitor gambling operators’ compliance with advertising, betting integrity and consumer protection regulations during the World Cup.”
Earlier this month, a number of operators and advertisers signed four charters in France, which committed to responsible advertising during the World Cup.
The joint statement from all five of the regulators says that they will put consumer protection at the forefront during the World Cup.
“This weekend will see the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” reads the statement. “We recognise that this is one of the world’s largest and most high-profile tournaments and is therefore likely to see an increase in betting activity.”
“As regulators, we have a key role in ensuring that consumers are protected throughout the tournament.”
It also states that the regulators will work with World Cup host country Qatar to monitor the market and check whether all necessary industry regulations are being followed.
“Working closely together during this period, we are committed to monitoring the gambling market, ensuring advertising, betting integrity and consumer protection regulations are followed by gambling operators,” it continues. “Throughout the tournament in Qatar, that will mean increased cross-border cooperation, particularly through the exchange of information, expertise and best practice.
It finishes with a commitment to increasing the regulators’ social media presences in order to promote safer gambling measures.
“In order to improve awareness of the risks around gambling harm, during the tournament we will also be increasing our activity on social media to promote how people can gamble safely.”
In the lead-up to the tournament, regulators around the world have been releasing warnings regarding operator compliance. Last week, Belgium’s Gambling Commission released a statement reminding operators of certain sections of the country’s Gambling Act, which are used to promote responsible gambling.
In the Netherlands, the Dutch Gambling Authority asked operators to monitor their advertising presence during the World Cup.
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