The European Economic and Social Committee will be discussing and adopting its position on the future of online gambling next week during its October plenary session.

It will be debating a draft opinion prepared by EESC member Stefano Mallia who was appointed rapporteur on this economic activity.

The European Economic and Social Committee represents European civil society, employers and employees and was established in 1957 as a forum to discuss issues regarding the single market. It gives Europe’s interest groups – such as trade unionists, employers and farmers – a formal say on EU legislative proposals.

The draft report seen by The Times Business contains a number of proposals which are aimed at making the online gambling market safer for consumers. The report points out that online gambling is characterised by a very large black market where an estimated 85 per cent of gambling websites are considered to be illegal.

This is creating a number of challenges such as how to best create an environment where the legal side of the business can flourish while at the same time safeguarding the interests of the consumer.

Among Mr Mallia’s proposals is the setting up set up of an EU-wide framework of consumer protection, a list of the legal operators (a white list) in Europe, the establishment of common licensing conditions between member states and the creation of a formal structure of cooperation between national regulators.

Commenting on the upcoming vote, Mr Mallia told The Times Business: “In arriving at this point (the plenary), the report has already been extensively discussed within the internal structures of the EESC. It was also the subject of a public debate held in Brussels. Having said that I still expect the report to be greatly debated.

“There is a lot of interest by various stakeholders in the sector all of whom will want to influence the final report. My aim is to have a strong report that will bring real value-added to the debate currently taking place at an EU level.”

The report will be discussed and voted on next Wednesday.

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