Jeremy Locke, newly appointed president of the North American Gaming Regulators Association (NAGRA) and Chief Operating Officer of Compliance at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), has called for deeper collaboration between North American and European gaming regulators to protect the integrity of global betting markets.
Speaking on a recent episode of the British Gambling Commission’s official podcast, Locke stressed that the rapid globalization of the gaming sector now demands real-time coordination across continents. With North American bettors increasingly wagering on European sports and events, he noted that monitoring and enforcement can no longer operate in isolation.
“When integrity alerts come in, we all need to come together,” Locke said. “We can act much more efficiently and quickly if we coordinate those efforts.”
This vision aligns with the Transatlantic Special Relationship formalized in late 2023 between NAGRA and the Gambling Regulators European Forum (GREF). The agreement established mechanisms for sharing best practices, co-hosting educational seminars, and building joint integrity monitoring systems to detect and respond to suspicious activity across markets. Combined, the two bodies represent more than 100 regulatory agencies spanning North America and Europe.
Locke emphasized that the partnership is not just about information exchange but about creating uniform integrity protocols that transcend jurisdictional boundaries. Such a framework, he argued, would better equip regulators to respond to emerging risks in sports betting, online gaming, and esports, particularly in the wake of rapid market expansion and technological change.
Industry observers see Locke’s push as a pivotal step toward harmonized global standards in gaming oversight, potentially setting the stage for a more integrated and secure betting environment on both sides of the Atlantic.
