Reunited responsibly: European lotteries call for environmental action

As environmental and societal pressures grow, decisive and collective action is needed. Launched earlier this year and showcased during the recent Responsible Gaming and Csr event in Amsterdam, El’s new Environmental Initiative emphasises once again the importance of sustainability in the lottery sector. National lotteries play a crucial role in sustainable and responsible business practices and call for strong environmental action at global level.

‘’The new El Environmental Initiative aims to create a collective dynamic among lottery members on concrete commitments in the environmental field – such as the use of paper coming from certified sustainable forests for gaming products (i.e., scratch tickets), and the regular monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., an action plan to reduce carbon emissions). say Romana Girandon, El 2nd Vice President and Supervisory Chair of the El Csr-Rg Working Group and Arjan van ‘t Veer, El Secretary General. ‘’Sustainability, responsibility, and integrity are in the DNA of lotteries and together we can act to safeguard the future of our planet. All El Members are warmly invited to join this voluntary project.’ ‘

As energy prices soar and uncertainties grow, ‘’Reunite Responsibly’’ was a timely and apt motto for this year’s Csr-Responsible Gaming seminar organised by The European Lotteries (El) and the World Lottery Association (Wla). Lotteries are committed to working further on sustainable projects with care for the environment, diversity and inclusion as corner stones to the sustainable lottery model based on subsidiarity, consumer protection and public order which prevail over all over interests. Now is the time to act for society and the planet. At the heart of the El Members stay also their commitment to responsible gaming programmes and the ongoing initiatives in this field.

As sustainability is important in the lottery model, now is the time to act. El Members are invited to confirm their voluntary commitments to the Environmental Initiative in order to prepare the next steps for future action. At the European level, work also continues. Developments on the new Csr and reporting initiatives from the European Commission will be followed closely upon their possible implications of the annual Csr reporting obligations of the El Members within the Eu.