The EU is moving toward a new standard for gambling addiction prevention

Gambling addiction, or ludomania, is one of the key challenges of the modern gambling market, both in the EU and in Ukraine. Although it is not widespread in our country, its existence even on a small scale cannot be acceptable, as it harms the psychological and financial state of players. That is why all developed economies that have legalised gambling are trying to improve their gambling prevention and control systems to prevent the spread of gambling addiction.

Revenues to the state budget through licence fees and taxes, as well as the cumulative economic effect of gambling legalisation, are, of course, great. At the same time, this should not happen at the cost of spreading gambling addiction among players. That is why developed jurisdictions have been developing legislation and regulatory policies to combat gambling addiction for years.

European countries are a prime example. Back in 2022, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) called on national regulators in EU countries and international regulators to create a standardised model for detecting signs of online gambling abuse. This initiative is part of a broader European trend towards increasing the responsibility of gambling organisers and protecting players from potential harm. The first goal is to establish universal criteria for identifying risky gambling trends and integrate them into data processing systems. This, in turn, will allow for better identification of high-risk players and restriction of their access to the game.

The new pan-European standard is currently expected to be approved on 25 September this year. It will be based on relevant research on gambling behaviour and expert opinions. This standard envisages the creation of a law that regulates the process of detecting, monitoring, and responding to risky gambling behaviour not only at the level of individual companies but also across the entire industry. Using modern algorithms, machine learning, and analytical tools, this standard will help develop a unified addiction prevention system that will be applied across Europe and will serve as a basis for national regulatory policies.

The efforts of the Ukrainian regulator and business are aimed at reducing the risks of gambling addiction by introducing the most effective safeguards. This includes both legal regulations and technical monitoring mechanisms that help to identify early signs of risky behaviour of players. Importantly, many Ukrainian gambling organisers have already implemented internal systems to monitor customer behaviour, analysing bets, frequency and timing of play, as well as financial transactions. However, without uniform international standards and objective criteria, it is difficult to achieve a systematic fight against this phenomenon.

The new standard will ensure unified approaches and increase the efficiency of work in this area. The role of the state is also important - it should facilitate the development and implementation of such standards. Therefore, I hope that after the adoption of the new standard, the national regulator will facilitate its gradual implementation in Ukraine.