EGBA achieves record participation for fourth annual European Safer Gambling Week in November

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has announced "record-breaking" results from its fourth annual European Safer Gambling Week (ESGW), held 18-24 November. The 2024 ESGW achieved a new participation milestone with 195 partners across 26 countries.

The initiative included a social media campaign and events program. The results "demonstrated the broader European sector’s strengthening commitment to safer gambling through new levels of participation and expanded geographic reach," said the association.

The campaign saw record engagement with 195 partners actively participating – a 20% increase from 2023. Eight national gambling authorities participated, more than double the previous year, by either joining the social media campaign or speaking at various events.

The campaign’s reach also expanded significantly to 26 countries – a 30% increase from 2023 – with partners in Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine joining for the first time. This was helped by social media graphics being made available in the local languages of 27 countries.

The social media campaign reached 3.1 million users across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X platforms, generating 1,169 social media posts – a 67% increase from the previous year. 

A cornerstone of this year’s campaign was its comprehensive events program, featuring 20 specialized events – an 11% increase from 2023. The events attracted record participation with 4,500 registrations and 3,000 attendees. 

Key discussions explored trends in AI, problem gambling prevalence reporting, and innovations in safer gambling tools and messaging. The events featured 105 speakers, including senior representatives from gambling authorities in Belgium, Denmark, France, and the UK.

The initiative builds on EGBA members’ year-round commitment to safer gambling, which in 2023 resulted in 67 million safety messages sent to their European customers. "This dedicated week amplifies these ongoing efforts while encouraging greater collaboration between operators, regulators, and harm prevention organizations," said EGBA.

Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA

“The success of this year’s edition reflects the sector’s deepening commitment to player protection,” said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA. “The significant increase in participation, especially from health organizations and regulatory authorities, demonstrates the common purpose and growing unity in our approach to safer gambling."

"Through this collaboration, we’ve reached a record number of Europeans with crucial safety messages during the campaign. Together, we’re making gambling safer and we already look forward to building on this success in next year’s edition.”

The 26 countries participating this year were: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine.