During a special live EL General Assembly announcement event on 4 June, EL Members elected the new Executive Committee and (re)appointed Hansjörg Höltkemeier as President for the period 2021-2023.
Members also adopted the EL Resolution on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and made the Association’s Responsible Gaming Certification mandatory for all Members.
”For the second time in EL’s history, we held the 2021 General Assembly as a virtual edition. With the experience of last year, the Association decided for a digital but interactive way to connect with EL Members while at the same time striking the right balance between the "legal requirements" of a General Assembly and an attractive format. I am personally very happy to be re-elected as EL President. I am proud of what the Association has achieved, and which continues to work in a professional way. I look forward to fulfilling my responsibilities together with a strong and experienced Executive Committee, to serve for the benefit of society. Together we can turn uncertainties into new strength and provide new momentum that will take us into the world of tomorrow.”
Romana Dernovšek, President & CEO, Loterija Slovenije and Supervisory Chair of the EL RG/CSR Working Group expressed her happiness and gratitude with regard to the adoption of the mandatory RG Certification and the CSR Resolution.
”We, Members of EL put our values first. Responsibility, sustainability, and integrity are the way we do business. By adopting the EL CSR Resolution and making the Responsible Gaming Certification mandatory, we have shown that we really do live up to these values. This is our way to continue prioritising the well-being of our players and to empower sustainability initiatives and programmes for the benefit of the society. I am proud to have been part of these processes and look forward to supporting all EL Members on our common journey.”
In normal circumstances this year’s General Assembly should have taken place in Sibenik, Croatia as part of the EL Congress and Trade Show. To honour the occasion, fourth President of the Republic of Croatia and current member of the International Olympic Committee Ms Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović gave an inspiring Keynote during this year’s virtual edition. Ms Grabar-Kitarović emphasised how sport has become more important than ever, particularly during the pandemic and highlighted the strong link between national lotteries and sports.
”Socially responsible companies play a major role in financing local sports, especially national lotteries which generate the necessary funds by organising games of chance. EL Members make a particularly significant contribution by paying more than 30bn euros (20 percent of the European Commission’s budget), into their countries’ state budgets. As much as 80 percent of their earnings is allotted to various economic and social causes, with sports receiving over a billion and a half euros annually. I strongly support the role of national lotteries in financing sports and am quite sure that there is ample room in that particular field for new ideas and cooperation models. I am looking forward to the fact that I myself will contribute to it all.”
Finally, during the General Assembly EL welcomed NOVAMEDIA/Postcode Lotteries (NL) as a new Regular EL Member and Degree53 (GB) as a new Associate Member. A revised Responsible Gaming Certification Framework and changes to the EL Statutes were adopted - including the move of the Statutory seat from Switzerland to Belgium, the forming of an Advisory Board and making the statutes ‘’pandemic proof’’.
Despite the many challenges faced over the past year, this year’s virtual General Assembly successfully and positively brought together over 70 Members from across Europe. The work now begins for the 2022 Industry Days in Wiesbaden, Germany and the 2023 Congress and Trade show in Sibenik, Croatia.
Notes
- The newly elected members of the EL Executive Committee are (in alphabetical order): Robert CHVÁTAL, Sazka a.s. (CZ), Olgierd CIEŚLIK, Totalizator Sportowy Sp. z.o.o. (PL), Romana DERNOVŠEK, Loterija Slovenije, d.d. (SI), Jannie HAEK, Loterie Nationale Loterij (BE), Hansjörg HÖLTKEMEIER / Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin DKLB (DE), Jesús HUERTA ALMENDRO, Sociedad Estatal de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (SELAE) (ES), Jean-Luc MONER-BANET, Loterie Romande (CH), Mario MUSA, Hrvatska Lutrija (HR), Stéphane PALLEZ, La Française des Jeux (FDJ) (FR), Francesco PAROLA, IGT Lottery (IT) and Olli SAREKOSKI, Veikkaus Oy (FI).
- The EL Resolution on Corporate Social Responsibility in the Lottery Sector (2021) - EN - DE - FR - ES
