New European Standard Addresses Gambling Addiction Indicators

CEN Publishes Standard on Gambling Addiction Indicators

The standard establishes a foundation for consumer protection against addiction by identifying nine key behavioral indicators that operators can use to detect problematic gambling trends early:

-Changes in bet size or frequency

-Speed or intensity of play

-Frequency, amount, or failed deposits

-Withdrawals and canceled withdrawals

-Player-initiated contact

-Duration of gambling sessions or time of day spent playing

-Use of multiple products

-Net losses or loss patterns over time

-Changes in safety tools such as limits or self-exclusion

In Latvia, the Licensed Gambling Association (LLAB), a partner of EGBA, has followed the development of the standard, including participation in the “Latvijas standarts” working group. In 2023, LLAB members signed an industry responsibility code that introduced criteria for monitoring player behavior.

LLAB’s Executive Director, Līga Līce, explained: “LLAB works closely with EGBA colleagues, and even during the drafting stage in 2023, we encouraged members to use behavioral indicators for addiction prevention on operator websites. It is important to stress that these prevention tools only work on licensed operator sites, so countries should reduce the presence of illegal gambling websites to ensure players choose safer, licensed platforms.”

EGBA Leads Development of Europe’s First Gambling Harm Prevention Standard

The initiative for the standard came from the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), which proposed it to CEN in 2022. EGBA actively participated in drafting the document alongside operators, national authorities, academics, and other stakeholders in harm prevention. The result is the first standard of its kind in the gambling industry, based on the latest research, and it received strong support from national standardization bodies in October 2025.

EGBA supports the standard as an important voluntary framework for identifying problematic gambling behavior. Its members have committed to aligning their player protection systems across Europe with the standard and are already implementing it in practice:

Most members already monitor all nine behavioral indicators, many integrating them into operations.

They use risk assessment models to continuously evaluate player behavior and identify signs of problematic play.

They are committed to gradually aligning their practices with the standard.

EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer stated: “This is a significant milestone in player protection in Europe. If widely adopted, this voluntary standard will allow earlier identification of problematic play and, as a result, provide better protection for players. Our members are among the first to implement it, and we encourage other operators to adopt the standard and help raise player protection standards across Europe.”

As a voluntary tool, the standard complements existing national regulatory frameworks. In some jurisdictions, certain indicators may not apply if they conflict with national laws, and implementation will reflect each market’s regulatory reality. EGBA is committed to promoting adoption across Europe. The standard (EN 18144) is now available through national standardization bodies across the continent.