Standards Development

Scope

This document includes the minimum gambling behavioural indicators to be analysed by online gambling operators for the purpose of detecting and preventing risky and problematic gambling behaviour (markers of harm).

This document specifies the minimum gambling behaviour factors that online gambling operators utilise in the analytics systems of their own or provided by external service providers. It does not define the thresholds that operators set to conclude on the existence of risk, neither the intervention systems they use to communicate with players when suck risk is identified.

This document provides a voluntary tool to the gambling regulatory authorities in the Member States, without prejudice to the competence of Member States in the regulation of online gambling. It does not impose any obligation on them to introduce or alter any player protection or responsible gambling laws and policies. National gambling regulators remain competent to set and enforce their own rules on player protection and responsible gambling. 

Purpose

This proposal is about the creation of a European standard on markers of harm, that would allow for the identification of players who are at risk of developing problematic gambling behaviour or have already developed such behaviour. Prevention of harmful gambling behaviour is essential for the provision of (online) gambling services. The proposed WI concerns the establishment of an indicative list of gambling behaviour factors, as a common core set of identifiers that can indicate a change to at risk or problem gambling behaviour (markers of harm). The creation of a standard on markers of harm would create the basis for an efficient and quick detection of risky gambling behaviour, based on individually operators’ datasets. Markers of harm would enable better understanding and monitoring the behaviour of an online player. The proposed standard will not determine the trigger points and thresholds that operators must set, neither the type of intervention system online gambling operators use to communicate with the player who has been identified as being at risk. The proposed WI will not be a medical assessment of gambling addiction, neither will create a new behavioural model that establishes what harm is. The standard on markers of harm will provide a trustworthy, representative and reliable set of markers for accurately detecting risk across all game types and player contexts. It will feed in the discussion around problem gambling, helping ultimately in mitigating problem gambling. This is an essential element of any effective consumer protection policy.