The frenetic pace of the development of online technologies in recent years has facilitated the provision of gambling services through various channels of distance distribution, including the Internet and other electronic or remote communication media such as Mobile telephony or digital television.

Due to the nature of the online environment, there is nothing to prevent gambling sites in the EU (EU) without any control by EU regulators

European consumers also seek outside their countries online gambling services which, if not properly regulated, can expose them to considerable risks. The wide supply and increased demand for these services poses a number of difficulties in ensuring the correct achievement of the public policy objectives at national, EU and international level.

The regulation of online gambling in the Member States is characterized by its diversity. Few are those who prohibit the offer of gambling on the Internet (whether all or just a few, such as poker or casino games).

In some European jurisdictions, monopoly regimes have been established (for the provision of online gambling services) which are operated by a public operator under state control or by a private operator with an exclusive right.

However, the number of Member States adopting a licensing system is increasing, allowing several operators to offer services on the market.

Given the type of problems posed by the development of online gambling and the implications it has at national level, it is not possible for Member States to be able to deal effectively with such problems alone or to ensure individually for such games an offer of services which Is properly regulated and is sufficiently safe.

The Commission's administrative cooperation measures will help each of the Member States to better understand the regulatory framework of others and to share best practices and improve convergence in solving common problems. In addition, if the Member States were to collaborate more and in the longer term, the EU's capacity to deal more effectively with the international dimension of online gambling would be strengthened.

Increasing consumer protection and improving the regulatory environment is in the interest of all Member States and all stakeholders.

In the same vein, it is also critical to prevent consumers from visiting unregulated sites from developing an attractive range of legal gambling opportunities. The EU action should therefore aim to provide all citizens of Europe with adequate protection in a regulated environment. In this respect, the Commission proposes to undertake together with the Member States the measures necessary to provide a high level of protection common to all European consumers and citizens (minors and vulnerable groups included). The proposed measures seek to combat the risks associated with unregulated markets and organized crime, such as fraud or fraud.

In general, it is expected that these measures, in addition to helping to improve the regulatory framework for online gambling services in the EU, will open the door to more intensive cooperation between Member States' regulatory authorities, but all Under the premise that blocking is impossible and permitting is preferable