Frost (Euromat): 'Street market of gaming, a highly taxed sector that deserves fair treatment'

Ahead of European elections in June, Euromat unveils its policy manifesto today, outlining the association’s recommendations for an incoming European Parliament and European Commission this year. Amongst the recommendations in the document are a call to preserve fair competition between public and private offers to ensure a well-functioning market. It is imperative that Eu institutions protect the single market and enforce Eu law, ensuring member States’ legislative freedom align with Single Market rules, which should be safeguarded by the European commission.

Combatting illegal gambling in all forms is also a priority for Euromat, as it jeopardizes player safety and diminishes government revenue. Equally important is safeguarding the ability of legal operators and manufacturers to conduct business, something which has been under pressure in recent years with banks withdrawing basic banking services from operators. Euromat is calling for a guaranteed access to basic banking services enshrined in law to protect them against arbitrary decision making by banks. Moreover, the sector requires payment rules that accommodate evolving consumer preferences. Despite the widespread roll out of non-cash payment options in other retail and leisure environments, the street market is being held back by unclear or prohibitive regulation which is preventing our sector from keeping pace with wider consumer trends. We need regulators to work with the industry to bring players payment options that are complementary to cash.

Euromat acknowledges the recent review of the anti-money laundering directive which resulted in the new anti-money laundering regulation (Amlr) and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a risk-based approach. Member States should now make use of the flexibility provided within the Amlr to exclude low-risk sectors from due-diligence requirements, ensuring legislation remains proportionate and targeted.

Finally, Euromat advocates for proportionality in player protection measures. Privacy-invasive solutions, such as player cards, entail disproportionate levels of data gathering which is not necessary to protect players and inappropriate in an era where privacy by design is supposed to be a principle that all businesses respect.

Euromat president, Jason Frost, commented: “If you look at many of the issues that our sector cares about, we’re suffering from unfair treatment whether that be in the payment options we can offer to players, competition from illegal channels, the preferential treatment in some regulation for publicly owned gambling offers, or access to basic banking services. We’re being treated differently but very often without justification. The fact is that we are a highly regulated and taxed business sector and that warrants fair treatment. This is the message that I intend to take to a new commission and Parliament later this year”.