Press Release: Commission sets out an action plan for online gambling

Online gambling is one of the fastest growing service activities in the EU, with annual growth rates of almost 15% and an estimated €13 billion in annual revenues in 2015. It continues to develop alongside the fast-paced progress of online technology.

Online gambling services cover a range of games of chance such as sports betting and poker, casino and lotteries, with 6.8 million consumers participating in one or more types of online gambling. However, there are also thousands of unregulated gambling websites, often from outside the EU, to which consumers are exposed and which carry significant risks such as fraud and money laundering.

The Commission is unveiling an action plan, with a series of initiatives over the next two years aimed at clarifying the regulation of online gambling and encouraging cooperation between Member States.

European Commission: Memo/12/798: Online gambling in the Internal Market - Frequently asked questions http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-12-798_en.htm

ESO: Background information: EU takes aim at internet gambling black market http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-takes-aim-at-internet-gambling-black-market/

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