Statement from European Gaming Regulators Regarding Scratch Cards

June 22, 2024 — On the occasion of the meeting held on June 11 and 12 at the offices of the Austrian Ministry of Finance, the gaming regulators of Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, Great Britain and Austria have issued the following joint statement:

DECLARATION OF THE REGULATORS OF AUSTRIA, FRANCE, GERMANY, PORTUGAL, SPAIN AND GREAT BRITAIN

On June 11 and 12, 2024, the Austrian, French, German, Portuguese (Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos), Spanish and British gaming regulators met in Vienna to discuss various issues related to gaming regulation. In particular, scratch card games and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) were discussed.

In relation to the preliminary jurisprudence of the CJEU that is being applied in several countries, we would like to remember that, although the European Union guarantees the freedom to provide services and the freedom of establishment, also for gaming companies, the Court of Justice of the The European Union has recognized that Member States may impose proportionate restrictions on these freedoms to regulate gambling and, in particular, to protect players through national laws. However, many of us have seen increasing challenges to these principles in our various jurisdictions, especially through some pretrial proceedings. We now wish to cooperate, or even intervene, in these proceedings to ensure that the Court’s jurisprudence protecting players is respected.

As regards scratch card games, the Austrian, French, Spanish and British regulators in our jurisdictions note the important dimension of this type of game. These may seem harmless to the public, often shared between parents and minors, but they are a gambling product that carries risks.

Taking these considerations into account, we commit today to working together to ensure the effective application of our national regulations to protect players, especially minors, who should not be introduced to the game through this type of offer.”

SOURCE: Sector Del Juego.