Activities of Olga SEHNALOVÁ related to 2012/2322(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on online gambling in the internal market
Amendments (33)
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that protecting minors from exposure to online gambling should remain a major policy objective; underlines the need to implement EU-wide standards for age and identity verifications to prevent underage gamblers from accessing remote gambling products; points out that some national models for the adoption of identification measures show clear evidence of having reduced the negative impact of online gambling; stresses, therefore, the importance of sharing best practices between the Commission and the Member States;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to include in its recommendations on responsible gambling advertising a ban on advertising for online gambling services aimed at minors, in particular on social media;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to set up a common, EU-wide self-exclusion program whereby players can voluntarily and in a simple manner exclude themselves from all gambling websites operating in the EU; this feature should be made clearly visible on all websites offering online gambling services;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that almost 2 % of the European population suffers from gambling addiction; is concerned that easy access to online gambling websites is likely to increase this percentage, especially among young people; considers, therefore, that efficient preventive measures should be enforced, such as the implementation of strict deposit limitupper limits on deposit or bet amounts or maximum hourly limits on losses;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Points out that online gambling, owing to its easy accessibility, poses much greater risks to vulnerable consumers and particularly young people, and that this form of addiction is less visible than is the case with traditional gambling;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Stresses the important role of education and awareness-raising on the subject of online gambling and its consequences among minors; calls for operators to be obliged to display clear, prominent and explicit warnings to minors stating that it is illegal for them to engage in online gambling;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Calls for limits to be imposed on financial transfers from the accounts and credit cards of minors to the accounts of gambling companies;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Stresses that defining a non-harmful format for advertising and rules on its dissemination is key to preventing people under 18 from gambling and combating problematic and compulsive gambling;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Believes that advertising must be carried out in a socially responsible manner and should contain explicit warnings concerning the consequences of compulsive gambling;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Urges operators, as a compulsory requirement, to include, on the homepage of gambling websites, a link to online information about gambling addiction and opportunities to obtain related professional assistance;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for more cooperation at European level, under the coordination of the Commission, to identify and prohibit online gambling operators engaged in illegal activities such as match-fixing or betting on competitions involving minors;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Urges the Commission and the Member States to conclude an ambitious binding agreement with third countries in the framework of the Council of Europe in the fight against organised crime involved in match fixing to combat the manipulation of sports results; while considering the feasibility for a global body dealing with match fixing, where all relevant actors would meet, exchange information, coordinate actions;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the form taken by advertising for online gambling varies between the Member States or is not regulated at all;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas the setting of ceilings, improved clarification, self-restricting instruments, information on programmes for prevention and treatment and the regulation of misleading advertisements create the conditions for early intervention in the event of problematic or pathological gambling;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
Fc. whereas gambling is associated with serious negative social phenomena, the consequences and cost of which are more difficult to estimate than the economic benefit gained from the gambling sector;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for a general ban to prevent sportspersons and organisers of sporting events from placing bets on their own matches or events; calls on sports associations to use education campaigns and codes of conduct to educate – from an early age – sportspersons, referees and officials on the illegality of manipulating sports fixtures;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for a general ban on betting on events involving minors; believes that operators should not offer bets on tournaments or competitions involving minors;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Warns that sports betting on parts of events or matches poses a risk to the integrity of sports;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends that cooperation and information exchange between Member States, their regulatory bodies, sports associations, international sporting organisations, Europol and Eurojust be reinforced to combat criminal activities in cross-border online gambling activities.
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that negotiations concerning cooperation must be launched with third countries and international sporting organisations in order to combat match fixing;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission always to include experts who are specialised in problem and pathological gambling in expert groups and consultations;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Is of the opinion that cooperation and the exchange of best practice between national experts from the social and health spheres who specialise in pathological and problem gambling should be strengthened at European level;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to continue to explore measures at the EU levelin depth new ways to protect vulnerable consumers, including formalised cooperation between regulators, and the introduction of an online trustmark for legal operatorsthe setting of ceilings, improved clarification, self-restricting instruments, information on programmes for prevention and treatment, the regulation of misleading advertisements and the introduction of an online trustmark for legal operators; also calls on the Commission to evaluate the effectiveness of existing measures at EU level;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that the unquantifiable scope of compulsive gambling points to the need for additional research and data, and therefore calls on all Member States to carry out further studies to understand problem gamblingCalls on all Member States to carry out further studies on research into and the occurrence, origins and treatment of gambling addiction and to use the available data to set a high level of consumer protection;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to consider legislation to create an EU-wide self- exclusion register, accessible by national authorities and licensed gambling operators, so that any customer who chooses to exclude him- or herself from one gambling operator has the opportunity to be automatically self-excluded from all other licensed gambling operators; stresses that the principle of self-exclusion must be supplemented by simple access to information on specialist help and special advisory agencies in the Member States;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. NotesIs of the view that the workshop agreement published in February 2011 by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN)1 could serve as a basis forone of the ways of identifying the content of common standards;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Takes the viewStresses that common standards for online gambling should address include, withe rights and obligations of both the service provider and the consumer, including by means ofegard to the development of problem or pathological gambling, measures to ensure a high level of protection for players, particularly minors and other vulnerable persons, and the prevention of misleading advertisementsing;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Stresses that restricting certain kinds and means of dissemination of advertising is crucial in order to stop people under 18 from gambling and prevent the rise of problem or pathological gambling;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Calls for the introduction of common minimum requirements for advertising online gambling in order to protect vulnerable groups of consumers;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Takes the view that advertising must be carried out in a socially responsible way and should, inter alia, include a clear warning about the consequences of pathological gambling;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
Paragraph 15 d (new)
15d. Calls on the Commission to work together with experts in problem and pathological gambling in order to investigate the possibility of restricting certain kinds of advertising; takes the view that a ban on misleading advertising, crediting bonuses or boosting demand by involving players who are already registered would help to protect minors and other vulnerable groups;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls for customer support always to be made available in a player’s mother tongue and all texts to be written by native speakers of the relevant languages;