2017 EUROPEAN WEEK OF SPORT

EL is an official partner of the 2017 European Week of Sport, which will take place on September 23 to 30, 2017.

Learn more about this European Commission initiative here.

EL MEMBERS GIVE MORE THAN 23 BILLION EUROS BACK TO SOCIETY

Revenues generated by Lotteries in Europe are returned to the State budgets and the funding of causes of general interest, for the benefit of society. For instance, by contributing to CULTURE.

For more information, read the EL Factsheets

2.5 BILLION EUROS ARE GOING BACK TO SPORT

EL Members contribute to the sustainable development of grassroot and amateur sport and participate in the development of the European sport model.

For more information, read the study on the Impact of Lotteries as a Funding Source for European Sport

EL/WLA CSR Responsible Gaming Seminar

EL/WLA Security & Integrity Seminar

During the General Assembly held on June 5th 2017 the new EL strategy was adopted unanimously. Recognising the rapidly changing environment and the changing nature of the lottery sector, the EL Executive Committee formulated a new sharper strategy for EL that seeks to address the opportunities and threats of the shifting context the EL Members are facing. This strategy takes as its starting point a clear articulation of values and positioning, but accepts changes and differentiations and last but not least recognizes new technologies and changing consumer-behaviour not only as a threat but as a real opportunity. EL and its Members’ identity are defined by core values that are shared by all EL Members. EL believes in the overall benefit of (state-) licensed lotteries for society as a guiding principle to organise and to run a public lottery or other games of chance. EL wants to attract potential players to safe, legal offers in their respective countries. EL takes into account (and are limited by) the individual and societal cost of those legal operations, whether that be lotteries or gambling products. This differentiates EL Members clearly from gambling operators whose primary focus is on the benefits for their shareholders. This leads to three core EL lottery values:

RESPONSIBILITY – EL and its Members believe in a high level of consumer protection and responsible gaming and give it priority over other interests. This is a key differentiator of how lotteries and other activities of EL members are operated in comparison to gambling operators or illegal operators. It includes a very clear commitment to maintain Corporate Social Responsibility at the heart of the activities of EL Members.

SOCIETY/ SUSTAINABILITY – The values are based on the idea that social and public order concerns prevail. This does not preclude profit generation but always acknowledges that lotteries and other activities of EL Members are run in society’s best interest, means in the best balance between social costs adhering to individual countries’ regulatory frameworks and - as a result of this regulation - lottery-profits.

INTEGRITY – Over and above EU and national laws, EL Members truly ‘walk the talk’ and operate strict standards (e.g. EL and WLA Security Standards) to provide secure and fair operations and to manage the risks of fraud and other forms of crime. The sports betting business by EL Members is operated living up the highest integrity standards.

An animation was made to explain the new EL strategy. This animation can be viewed HERE.

Sports ministers and stakeholders from 116 countries met in Kazan on 13-15 July 2017, as part of 6th International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS VI) to discuss and agree on a concise action plan for developing sports strategies. The countries developed a comprehensive vision of inclusive access to sport with a view to promoting sport and physical activity among women and men of all ages and physical condition. They also sought ways to maximize the contribution of sport to sustainable development and to protect the integrity of sport, including professional sport.

The Kazan Action Plan is available here.

On the Olympic Day, EL recalls the significant contribution of EL Members to the Olympic Movement and calls for further dissemination of the Olympic Values world-wide

Lotteries in Europe have been enthusiastically supporting the Olympic movement in many different ways and for a long period, be it through support to the hosting of the Games, structural contribution to their NOCs or support to projects seeking to disseminate Olympic values.

After 18 months of intensive work, the Council of Europe (CoE) along with its Partners concluded on June 16 in Strasbourg the project “Keep Crime out of Sport” (KCOOS). The European Lotteries Association was a key partner in this project. The KCOOS project had the objective to support states in implementing the key provisions of the Macolin Convention, notably the setting up of national platforms, the sharing of information among key stakeholders, the development of education and prevention initiatives.