The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has reported record-high levels of player awareness and usage of safer gambling tools in the past year, as outlined in its latest Sustainability Report.
However, EGBA is urging certain countries to develop more robust and long-term policy strategies aimed at combating the illegal market and creating stable and supportive regulatory frameworks.
The joint efforts of EGBA members are presented in the 2025 Sustainability Report, which highlights their contributions to safer gambling, social investment, and responsible business practices.
According to the report:
- EGBA members contributed €3.8 billion in taxes to the European economy in 2024.
- 100 million safer gambling messages were sent to customers.
- 26.7 million players (69%) used safer gambling tools – with half doing so voluntarily.
EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer highlighted the effectiveness of personalized messaging, which made up 28% of all safer gambling communications. He emphasized their positive impact on player behavior:
“This year’s report shows our members are not only positive contributors to Europe’s economy but also setting industry benchmarks for safer gambling,” said Haijer.
“We’re especially encouraged by the success of personalised safety messages, which our report shows to be positively impacting between 42% to 46% of customers showing high-risk behaviours. That’s genuinely meaningful progress that builds trust and helps raise standards across the wider industry.”
Key Areas of Development in the 2025 Report
- Social investment
- Promotion of safer gambling
- Use of player protection tools
- Customer demographics
- Employment and diversity
- Environmental and energy concerns
EGBA Members: bet365, Betsson, Entain, evoke, FDJ United, Flutter, LeoVegas, Superbet. Associate Members: Aircash and Sumsub.
How Personalized Messages Are Delivered:
- Pop-ups — 67%
- Email — 25%
- Other channels — 7%
- Phone calls — 1%
Player Response to Safer Gambling Messages:
- 21% of players enabled or strengthened their use of protection tools over the past year.
- Most commonly used tool: deposit limits, selected by 65% of voluntary users (down from 70% the previous year).
Other tools used:
- Time limits – 11%
- Product blocks – 5%
- Self-exclusion (up to 6 months) – 6%
- Self-exclusion (longer than 6 months) – 6%
- Other – 7%
Age Groups Most Likely to Use Protection Tools:
- Ages 36–50 – 30%
- Ages 26–35 – 28%
- Ages 18–25 – 21%
- Ages 51–65 – 17%
- Ages 66+ – 4%
Staff Training and Support Contributions:
- The percentage of employees trained in safer gambling grew from 80% to 89%, totaling over 55,000 individuals in both online and land-based operations.
Funding for Gambling Harm Prevention:
- €148.9 million invested in 2024 in research, education, and treatment
- €290 million invested over the past five years
Investment in Sports:
A total of €735 million was invested in sports through sponsorships, licensing fees, and media rights:
- Media rights – 62%
- Sponsorships – 27%
- Licensing/taxes – 11%
Charity and Social Initiatives:
- Contributions totaled €156.8 million, up 4% from €151.4 million in 2023.
“Our members are showing that leadership in our industry is about more than commercial success – it’s about protecting players, supporting communities, and investing in Europe’s future,” Haijer added.
“But sustaining these achievements requires stable and supportive regulatory frameworks and stronger enforcement against black market operators based outside Europe, who threaten the safety of European citizens and contribute nothing to our societies.
“The regulated industry makes substantial investments, but we need a longer-term policy vision in some national markets.”
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