President of the European Court of Auditors Joining the voices of the gambling industry is essential to combat illegal activities

European Casino Association (ECA) president Per Jaldung said the recent alliance between ECA, European Lotteries (EL) and World Tote Association (WTA) could "provide vital support to consumer protection" across Europe.

These three bodies have joined forces to support the European Commission's upcoming Digital Services Act package, which aims to modernize the rules to fight illegal online gambling through a notification-and-action mechanism.

Therefore, the ECA, EL and WTA joined the votes of the Alliance Against Illegal Gambling to support the bill, and the ECA concluded that such activity "poses a real threat to the safety of all players" across the continent.

"We firmly believe that greater convergence between the relevant stakeholders in the EU gambling industry is crucial to tackling common and key issues such as illegal gambling," said Jaldung.

“The Alliance aims to raise awareness and work with policymakers to tackle this problem effectively. By joining our voices, we can provide key support in protecting consumers across Europe.

"In addition, we fully accept the Digital Services Act package, which is a key step in the fight against this particular social scourge."

The ECA added that illegal gambling undermines the efforts of licensed suppliers to meet consumer protection requirements.