The interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (iGGBA) merged with
the Association of Remote Gambling Operators (ARGO) in 2005 and the merged
organisation is one of the primary industry bodies that has been established to
execute and promote effective self-regulation of the online gambling industry in
the UK and further afield.
This SlideShowPro photo gallery requires the Flash Player plugin and a web browser with JavaScript enabled.
The membership reads like a "Who's Who" of the online gaming industry with
all of the major online companies having representation on the executive board
or in providing practical resources and assets to enable the body to discharge
its responsibilities. The body also works very closely with the UK Gaming
Commission and has been instrumental in the promulgation of industry codes of
practice and their practical implementation by operators in the remote gambling
community.
The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) as the merged body is now known,
is based in London and provides industry regulatory oversight for operators
across the UK and Europe and anywhere else the membership feels the organisation
should have an interest.
The aims of the RGA include the negotiation by collective agreement with
trade unions and organisations, the media, the government and regulatory bodies,
other employer bodies and any other relevant organisation on behalf of its
membership. The RGA is active in representing the interests of its membership
before Parliament, other European governments and regulatory bodies overseas as
well as liaising with other gaming and gambling bodies.
The RGA seeks to promote social responsibility from its membership and the
adoption of high standards of business practice which mirror the minimum
standards of the regulatory bodies and exceed them with best business practice.
In this respect, the RGA is also active in the promotion of draft legislation in
its own right as well as providing industry expertise on proposed laws within
the UK and Europe. The RGA also cooperates very closely with charities and care
providers involved with delivering services to those with gambling issues as
well as promoting and assisting in research into these conditions and what
creates them. The RGA also fully supports the protection of children and
vulnerable persons from the negative aspects of the gaming industry.
Regulation does not come without a cost, both financial and in terms of the
customer experience when playing; the impact of regulation must be closely
monitored so that an excessive burden is not placed on the market such that
margins are eroded nor the overall cost of playing becomes too expensive for the
consumer. The RGA seeks to provide feedback to the government and regulators on
the effectiveness of regulation and promoting compliance in a cost effective
manner so the entire industry is not artificially obstructed from developing in
accordance with free market principles.
Significant recent developments and initiatives include lobbying the European
Union Parliament on the trade dispute that has occurred as a consequence of the
US ban on online gaming; the publication and enforcement of a Code of Practice
in respect of social responsibility obligations and cooperating with GAMCARE and
others in a research study into the global issues represented by the
international dimension that online and remote gambling has created with a
worldwide, 24/7 gaming market.
