How the EU coordinates national gambling laws

1) Lack of uniform law - conscious politics

The EU has considered the idea of a gambling directive several times, but member states have insisted on sovereignty in moral and social policy. As a result, Brussels does not regulate gambling directly, but:

coordinates common standards (through commissions and working groups);
monitors the compatibility of national norms with EU law (primarily with freedom of provision of services);
sets mandatory standards in related areas - AML, KYC, GDPR, consumer protection.

2) The legal framework and precedents of the EU Court of Justice

Key solutions (Gambelli, Placanica, Liga Portuguesa, Zeturf, etc.) have consolidated the principle:

💡 Member States may restrict gambling to protect the public interest (dependence, fraud, public order), but restrictions must be proportionate and consistent.

Thus, the EU demands not to ban, but to justify why restrictions are needed and how they relate to the principle of a free market.

3) Coordination through horizontal directives

Although there is no "uniform gambling law," the industry is regulated by dozens of pan-European acts:

AML Directive (5AMLD/ 6AMLD) - gambling is included in the list of obligated entities to combat money laundering. Requirements: KYC, transaction monitoring, suspicious transaction reporting.
GDPR - uniform standards for the processing and protection of personal data of players, logs, analytics, as well as requirements for DPO and DPIA.
Consumer Rights Directive - transparency of bonuses, playing conditions, returns.
E-Commerce Directive - defines how online services should work within the domestic market.
AVMSD (Audiovisual Media Services Directive) - regulates gambling advertising in audio and video services, especially in the context of minors.
Digital Services Act (DSA) - the responsibility of platforms and marketplaces (including advertising) for illegal content, including gambling products.

4) Pan-European coordination and data sharing

The EU supports Expert Group on Gambling Services, where representatives of national regulators (MGA, ANJ, DGOJ, ADM, GGL, etc.):

exchange RG/KYC/AML practices;
develop joint standards for advertising, player protection and technical control;
promote principles of voluntary harmonization to simplify the cross-border work of operators.

In addition, EGBA (European Gaming & Betting Association) works - an industrial association promoting uniform ethical and technical standards (RG, anti-fraud, privacy, AML, affiliates, UX).

5) Key general requirements for EU operators

Regardless of the country of license, operators are required to comply with:

KYC/AML on EU directives (identification, PEP/sanctions, SoF/SoW);
GDPR и privacy-by-design;
responsible game (limits, self-exclusion, cooling-off, RTP transparency);
honest advertising and age filters;
reporting and control of B2B providers;
RNG/RTP audit in accredited laboratories (GLI, eCOGRA, iTechLabs, etc.).

6) Examples of interaction with national regimes

Malta (MGA) is a pioneer of the pan-European model, recognized as compatible with EU law.

Germany (GGL) - coordinates restrictions, but is obliged to explain their proportionality.

France (ANJ) and Spain (DGOJ) - are building regulation in the spirit of RG and GDPR.

Finland - moves from monopoly to licenses within the framework of compatibility with EU norms.

The EU does not intervene directly but demands that national barriers do not upset the balance of freedom of service and citizen protection.

7) Future: "soft harmonisation" instead of directive

The EU has no plans to introduce a single licence in the coming years. Instead, develop:

Pan-EU Responsible Gaming Framework (unified RG principles);
Unified registers of self-exclusion and ad blocking;
Coordination of AML and KYC through EBA and FATF;
Digital Single Market Compliance Guides - recommendations for online operators to unify procedures.

The EU does not directly regulate gambling, but creates an ecosystem of standards where even national monopolies are required to comply with supranational KYC, AML, GDPR and consumer protection standards. This is not a "single law," but a mosaic of binding directives and voluntary agreements that are gradually turning the European market into a zone of "soft harmonization" - without complete unity, but with a common logic of transparency, responsible play and predictability for all players and operators.