Maarten Haijer from EGBA Highlights 2024 Achievements and Calls for Stronger Policy Support

The EGBA’s 2025 Sustainability Report reflects the strong commitment of its members to sustainable business practices, social responsibility, and safer gambling. Now in its fifth edition, the report highlights progress made in 2024, including record levels of player safety tool usage, increased safer gambling training among staff, and the positive impact of personalized messages on player behavior.

For the first time, the report includes data on members’ economic contributions—such as tax payments and investments in European sports—demonstrating their value to society through job creation, public service funding, and community support.

As the European gambling landscape evolves with new technologies and changing player expectations, EGBA members continue to respond with innovation and responsibility. The report emphasizes the importance of shifting from measuring outputs to outcomes and shows evidence that proactive player protection is making a meaningful difference.

The EGBA also warns about the growing threat of the black market and unregulated crypto casinos, calling for regulatory frameworks that support rather than hinder licensed operators. It continues to facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing among its members and stakeholders, including efforts to standardize harm markers at the European level.

Looking ahead, the EGBA is preparing for the upcoming European Safer Gambling Week in November 2025, aiming to unite the industry and engage experts in the field. The organization celebrates its members' achievements, recognizing that safe and sustainable gambling is essential for long-term business success.

To conclude, Maarten Haijer Secretary General, EGBA explains: “A major milestone involves the work to standardise markers of harm at European level. This EGBA-proposed initiative, being developed by the European Committee for Standardisation, will enable more consistent and earlier detection of risky play across operators and borders. The process to develop the standard is valuable – bringing together stakeholders to share knowledge and experiences to create something for the common good. This is precisely the kind of collaboration that we need more of. We hope that the standard will be finalised early next year”.