European Safer Gambling Week 2025 opens with industry call for responsibility
As the fifth edition of European Safer Gambling Week (ESGW25) got underway this morning, industry leaders used the opening webinar to deliver unusually direct appeals for higher standards, greater collaboration, and a more honest conversation about the risks associated with gambling.
The session, Welcome to European Safer Gambling Week, was hosted by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and framed as a scene-setter for a week of events, debates and workshops running from 17 to 23 November. Over 30 minutes, speakers reflected on the rapid expansion of the initiative since its launch in 2021 and set out priorities for the days ahead.
Jim Curry, founder of the Better Gaming Show and moderator of the session, set the tone early, repeatedly urging operators, suppliers and regulators to take shared responsibility for raising standards. His calls for “better standards and better protection” framed the discussion that followed, which brought together voices from different corners of the sector, including Dr Maris Catania, Director of Player Sustainability at LeoVegas and a Chartered Psychologist specialising in cyberpsychology and behavioural disorders, who spent more than fifteen years working on research-driven approaches to early-risk detection and player protection.
On the question of industry responsibility, EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer offered a pointed reminder. “We do not sell books,” he said, arguing that the industry has to acknowledge there are certain risks associated with this product. “Safer gambling messages are hugely important, and we do have a responsibility as an industry to promote that,” he added.
Momentum built on collaboration
The 2024 edition of the European Safer Gambling Week drew 195 organisations from 26 countries, reached 3.1 million people with targeted safety messaging, and hosted 20 events with more than 3,000 attendees. Campaign materials were distributed in 27 languages, and gambling authorities from eight countries took part, with Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine joining for the first time.
Organisers say this expansion shows a “deepening commitment to putting player protection at the cornerstone of the European gambling sector”. Across the continent, operators, regulators, treatment services, researchers, and people with lived experience of gambling harm are expected to take part in this year’s programme. Haijer highlighted that the initiative creates a unique moment when the entire ecosystem can unite around the same objectives, noting that “it’s good to have one week where there is a real focus across Europe on safer gambling.”
Dr. Catania echoed that sentiment, stressing the importance of shared ownership across the sector. “It’s really good that we have a dedicated moment for the entire gambling ecosystem… to come together around a shared goal, which is reducing gambling-related harm.”
Themes driving this year’s safer gambling agenda
Alongside Monday’s opening session, the week includes further EGBA-hosted webinars on fraud prevention and KYC, markers of harm, the black-market challenge, and measuring the effectiveness of player protection tools. The opening session also shed light on some of the key topics shaping this year’s agenda:
- Data-driven harm detection
Catania identified early-risk identification and data-led analysis as critical priorities, noting that “one of the main themes is data-driven detection: how we can use behavioural analytics and AI responsibly to identify risk earlier, while still protecting autonomy and privacy.”
- Evolving marketing and communications
She also pointed to advertising and influencer-led marketing as areas requiring attention: “Communication and advertising will always be a sore conversation, and with influencers, there are new challenges we wouldn’t even have imagined ten years ago.”
- The black-market threat
Catania confirmed this remains a persistent industry concern: “The black market is such a big issue. We try to do so much on the topic, but we never manage enough.”
- Young people and vulnerable audiences
Ahead of speaking at the European Parliament, she highlighted the growing priority of youth protection: “The discussion there is on the young people aspect, a topic quite close to heart.”
Industry voices line up behind the initiative
Support for ESGW25 has again come from a broad spectrum of the gambling sector, with several operators and associations publicly backing the initiative.
In the UK, BGC Chief Executive Grainne Hurst said European Safer Gambling Week is “an important moment for our industry to unite, with charities, regulators and parliamentarians to promote safer play,” speaking in an exclusive interview to SiGMA News.
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, added: “Safer Gambling Week is an important moment for the industry to demonstrate its commitment to protecting customers and promoting responsible play.”
French operator PMU reaffirmed its stance: “On the occasion of the European Safer Gambling Week, PMU reaffirms its ongoing commitment to promoting controlled and responsible play.”
From LeoVegas, CEO Mattias Wedar said: “We are very happy to be collaborating with field experts and world-leading sports brands throughout the week to promote these important initiatives. It’s important to gamble responsibly and make use of all the tools available.”
The Irish Bookmakers Association called it a collective effort across retail and online betting. « From the perspective of the Irish Bookmakers Association, Safer Gambling Week is not just a campaign — it’s a collective effort. By displaying campaign materials, sharing key messages, and signposting customers to support services, we help normalise conversations about safer gambling.”
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