Responsible Gambling Day held in European Parliament
On 17 April 2008, a one day seminar on responsible gaming took place in the European Parliament. The “Responsible Gaming Day” hopes to initiate the first broadly based EU political discussion on responsible gambling online. The event was divided into 4 panels which covered the possibility of a policy framework needed to ensure consumer protection in online gambling activities, how to address underage gaming, best practice for the advertising of gaming and how best to address problem gambling. Participants included EU policymakers such as MEP Christofer Fjellner (EPP-ED, Sweden), MEP Joel Hasse Ferreira (PSE, Portugal), MEP Toine Manders (ALDE, Netherlands), MEP Christopher Heaton-Harris (EEP-ED, UK), academics including Dr. Mark Griffiths, Nottingham Trent University, Dr. Howard Shaffer, Harvard Medical School, and industry representatives such as Mr. Petter Nylander, CEO Unibet, and Clive Hawkswood, Chief Executive of the Remote Gambling Association.
Although the focus was on online gambling, statements of MEPs and others clearly included the offline sector as well. British MEP Christopher Heaton-Harris (EPP-ED) stated, that the Internet has changed the gambling industry and uploaded it on the international/EU level. And Simon Starcek, Director General of Sports Department in the Ministry of Education and Sport of Slovenia, speaking on behalf of the Slovenian EU Presidency said that gambling and online gambling are fields of growing significance and that gambling plays a key role in tourism, technological development and employment.
Swedish MEP Christofer Fjellner, one of the sponsors, says in his press release that the question of social responsibility should be a shared interest of, and an area of co-operation between, EU Member States and private gaming companies. The private gaming companies need to prove that they take responsible gaming seriously and thus deserve free movement of gaming services in the EU. Member States have to show that they do not abuse social protection as an excuse to protect their monopoly from competition. Therefore, according to Fjellner, it is unacceptable that some Member States obstruct private companies' efforts in obtaining a high level of social responsibility. Toine Mander, (ALDE, The Netherlands), said that gambling is a money-making machine for governments and customer protection is used to protect the state monopoly.
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