The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) was established on 1st of August 2005. It was developed through a fusion of two presented associations of online gambling operators, which the Association of Remote Gambling Operators (ARGO) and the Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (IGGBA). The motive was to guarantee that the online gambling industry provided a distinct state on significant matters to regulators, legislators and major determinants.
The RGA works from London and stands for the concerns of remote gambling operators of Europe. Complete association of the RGA is accessible to those remote gambling operators that are certified for gambling actions and equipped within the European Economic Area (EEA), the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. The associates of the RGA comprise some of the leading, certified and stock market-listed remote gambling companies in Europe. Some of the high-flying associates are William Hill, Ladbrokes, PartyGaming, Victor Chandler and 888. The RGA also embraces online gaming software providers like Microgaming, Cryptologic and Playtech. Associations that do not convene the complete association norms can become Affiliate Members and would get restricted support from the RGA.
The tasks of the RGA are cataloged in its “Aims and Objectives”. The RGA comes into the scenario when there is a requirement to negotiate in the support the industry all together, specifically with trades’ associations, employer’s organizations, government federations and the media. The RGA also supports its associates in proceedings over the right to offer remote gambling services. In this association, one of the aims concerning which the RGA is operational is the formation of a uniform remote gambling market in Europe where any operator in any country in Europe can provide his services over Europe without any interference.
Within its organization, the RGA promotes high benchmarks of reliability and social liability among its members. To accomplish this, the RGA has originated a code of conduct, agreement with which has become a term of association since January 2006. The code handles matters like preclusion of minor gambling, safety of players’ concerns and responsibility in publicity. A third task of the RGA is to keep its members aware of the up-to-date progress in the remote gambling industry through domestic newspapers, magazines, periodicals and books.
One of the more key proposals of the RGA has been the stand it has taken versus the breach of international law by the United States through the passing of the UIGEA and the discrimination of non-American online gaming operators. The RGA has filed a protest under a clause of the European Union’s Trade Barriers Regulation in the opposition of the United States Department of Justice challenging its biased systems.