The rise in sports betting activities has prompted governments to be more proactive in their regulations. Not only does this help them protect consumers from problem gaming, but it also ensures that bookies abide by fair play policies and protect punters’ data. What’s more, with more regulations, governments can tap into this growing industry that promises more employment and higher tax revenues. As such, European countries have been working hard to harmonize their regulations to ensure these benefits are evident across the region. We look at what is changing and what this spells for punters, bookies, and other stakeholders.

What’s Happening in 2025?

Increased Player Protection Strategies

With sports betting picking up pace, more people have been creating betting accounts, including vulnerable groups such as children and problem gamers. Governments have instituted measures to protect minors by necessitating age verifications for all punters. Take Hungary as an example. Its market liberalization has allowed more bookies, such as those listed on globusbet.com, to offer their services to its citizens. However, with this increased access, it has adjusted its policies to forbid bookies from accepting anyone below 18 years, thus ensuring that only adults can create and use betting accounts. The market thrives, and the minors remain safe.

But it’s not just minors who are at the center of this protection. Many countries in Europe are now enforcing the following measures:

• Deposit limits. These come in two forms. The first is the mandatory upper limit that applies to all punters. The second is the optional limit that punters can set in addition to the existing upper limit.

• Time limits. These are not mandatory but are advisable for punters who often spend too much time on wagers. Punters can set how much time they want to be online and will get a notification once this time lapses.

• Self-exclusion features. These programs combine money and time restrictions by enabling punters to lock themselves out of their accounts for a certain time. They are optional and mainly target people who may have trouble knowing when to take a break.

These measures will go a long way toward helping punters manage their time and financial resources more effectively so that they can attend to other responsibilities in their lives.

More Responsible Advertising.

Higher Security Standards.

Emphasis on Social Responsibility.

Bookies have a responsibility to protect the people in the countries they operate in, from punters to local communities. Other than embarking on corporate social responsibility programs, governments have been urging bookies to do the following:

• Track and flag money laundering activities. Bookies are responsible for ensuring that everyone signing up for and using a betting account is abiding by the law. Thus, they have been using fraud detection systems to weed out suspicious behavior and share information with the concerned authorities.

• Train employees about responsible gambling. It’s much easier for employees to point out accounts that display problem gaming. If they have the necessary training to handle such accounts and help their users, they can be instrumental in protecting vulnerable punters.

Bookies have also been working with governments to determine what standards will unify the regulatory framework and create a sustainable, safe, and profitable gambling environment.