Europe Moves Closer to Unified Markers of Harm

In 2023, the idea of a “common framework for markers of harm” in online gambling was still in its formative stage. At that time, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and the International Gaming Research Unit (IGRU) had collaborated to outline a systematic approach to identifying gambling behaviours that could signal risk. Their research identified nine key behavioural indicators, ranging from increased time spent gambling and chasing losses to signs of financial strain. The work was groundbreaking in its own right, representing a first attempt to give the industry a shared language around early-warning signs of problem gambling.

Two years on, the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) confirmed that national standardisation bodies across Europe have voted in favour of a draft European standard for markers of harm. For an initiative that began in academic research and industry self-regulation, the development moved towards a formalised European standard with institutional authority and the promise of continent-wide adoption.

The vote, held on 25 September 2025, clears the way for CEN to finalise and publish the standard in early 2026. In practical terms, that means the framework will soon exist not only as an academic model or an industry best practice, but as a formal European standard available for voluntary adoption by regulators and licensed gambling operators across all EU member states. Unlike national regulations, the CEN standard will not carry the weight of law, but it will provide a recognised benchmark that can be integrated into regulatory regimes or internal compliance systems. In an industry suffering from fragmented approaches to consumer protection, this could provide extremely beneficial.

Many stakeholders and industry leaders have welcomed the news. The EGBA, which championed the initial research, framed the vote as evidence of growing maturity in the sector’s approach to safer gambling. The organisation highlighted the importance of moving beyond a patchwork of national interpretations and adopting a unified understanding of what constitutes risky or harmful behaviour. For operators working across multiple jurisdictions, such alignment could bring practical benefits, such as consistency in monitoring systems, clarity in interventions, and greater trust from regulators.

What distinguishes this from previous industry-led efforts is its anchoring in the European standardisation process. CEN, which is responsible for developing voluntary European standards across a wide range of sectors, brings legitimacy and structure that no single trade body or research unit could achieve on its own. With AFNOR, the French national standardisation body, acting as Secretariat, the process has been managed with the same rigour as any other European standard, from translation into multiple languages to administrative checks and quality assurance. The result will be a document that regulators and operators alike can adopt with confidence, knowing it has been tested through a transparent, consensus-based process.

At the centre of this initiative is the work of Dr. Maris Catania, whose leadership in gambling harm research has helped bridge the gap between academic theory and practical application. The collaboration has been broad, involving regulators, academics, operators, and harm-prevention specialists, reflecting a recognition that addressing gambling-related harm cannot be the responsibility of any single stakeholder. The standard, once published, will provide a shared framework but its ultimate impact will depend on how consistently and effectively it is implemented across Europe’s diverse gambling markets.

For critics, the voluntary nature of the standard may temper expectations. Without mandatory enforcement, uptake will rely on regulators choosing to adopt the framework into their licensing regimes and operators deciding that alignment is in their commercial and reputational interests. Even as a voluntary tool, the standard is the clearest path to harmonisation. It creates a reference point that regulators can point to. It may even act as a soft form of regulation, shaping behaviour through consensus and expectation rather than regulation.

The journey from the 2023 framework to the forthcoming 2026 standard is a relatively short one. What began as a set of nine behavioural markers has matured into the first commonly agreed European standard for identifying risky gambling behaviours. If widely adopted, it will deliver consistent responsible gambling practices across Europe, ensuring that players are monitored for early warning signs under the same principles whether they are gambling in Stockholm, Madrid, or Dublin.

For an industry under pressure to demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility, this would represent no small achievement. One may even ask whether such transparency will be welcomed by political voices, given that gambling is often treated with disdain and remains an easy target for criticism and political point-scoring.

The European gambling sector has often been accused of moving too slowly on consumer protection, dragged down by national silos and uneven political will. The new standard does not solve every problem, nor will it immediately eliminate harm. But it does offer a rare glimpse of alignment in an industry suffering from fragmentation.

As regulators and operators prepare for the standard’s publication, the coming months will reveal whether Europe can truly turn consensus into change, or whether political hesitation will once again hold back reform.