EU Regulations Push Gambling Operators to Rethink Digital Compliance
The European Union is reshaping the rules of the digital economy – and gambling operators, both within and outside the EU, are firmly in the crosshairs. New legislative frameworks on accessibility, online services, and artificial intelligence introduce far-reaching obligations that demand strategic attention across the gaming sector.
Accessibility Becomes a Market Standard
The analysis, by Ted Shapiro and Tamas Szigeti from Wiggin, outlines how three key regulatory instruments are set to reshape the compliance landscape for gambling businesses.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA), which comes into force on 28 June 2025, establishes binding digital accessibility standards for all services offered to EU consumers – irrespective of where the provider is based. For gambling operators, this effectively acts as a market access condition. If you offer services in the EU, you must comply.
Although the EAA is a directive, and thus implemented through 27 separate national laws, the EU aims to harmonise enforcement via standardisation. However, these technical standards are still under development and will not be ready when the law takes effect. This creates legal ambiguity, partially offset by a five-year grace period for existing service contracts.
For gambling services, the EAA’s main implications will likely fall on their e-commerce infrastructure. Websites, apps, payment interfaces, and support channels must be made accessible – defined as perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. While games themselves may fall outside the EAA’s scope, the user journey leading to those games likely does not. Although the directive applies to B2C services, its impact is already trickling into B2B relationships within the gambling and gaming supply chain.
DSA Raises the Bar for Online Intermediaries
The Digital Services Act (DSA), in force since early 2024, introduces layered obligations for digital intermediaries depending on their services and size. Its scope includes all services targeting EU users, provided they maintain a “substantial connection” to the Union. This extends to gambling platforms with chat features, community forums, or social feeds, which may qualify as hosting services or online platforms.
Operators in this category must provide transparent terms of service, implement content moderation procedures, and publish periodic transparency reports. The DSA also introduces real-time ad transparency obligations, requiring platforms to clearly label advertising content as such. A voluntary code of conduct on advertising practices is expected to clarify compliance expectations.
For gambling businesses with strong online communities and embedded social features, these rules represent a significant shift. Even those without a formal EU presence may still fall under the regulation.
AI Regulation Reaches Gambling Technology
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, adopted in 2024, creates a structured framework for AI systems and general-purpose models. While the Act targets high-risk AI, it applies broadly to any system placed on the EU market. This includes use cases in gambling, such as fraud detection, player profiling, and personalised marketing tools.
AI-powered customer service chatbots, in particular, may fall within the scope of the Act. So too could internally developed or fine-tuned AI models, especially if used in consumer-facing applications. Transparency, accountability, and human oversight are central to the new rules, and operators must now evaluate whether their current AI use aligns with these principles.
As the technology evolves, the regulatory perimeter may expand. Gambling firms investing in AI innovation should assume that regulatory expectations will increase in parallel.
Compliance Without Borders
The EAA, DSA, and AI Act share one critical feature: extraterritorial reach. These laws are not limited to companies headquartered in the EU. If a gambling platform serves EU players, it must comply – whether operating from Malta, the UK, or beyond.
This trio of regulations signals the EU’s broader ambition to ensure digital services meet consistent standards of fairness, transparency, and accessibility. For gambling operators, compliance is not only a legal requirement but a strategic necessity. Aligning early can build trust, strengthen market positioning, and minimise future exposure.
As Ted Shapiro and Tamas Szigeti conclude, gambling operators should begin now: audit accessibility, review digital infrastructure, map AI usage, and prepare for cross-border enforcement. In a regulatory environment that’s moving quickly, readiness will distinguish leaders from laggards.