Maarten Haijer has been appointed the new director general of the World Gaming and Betting Alliance (WGBA), representing a significant leadership change in global gambling regulation.
Haijer comes to this role after serving at Algonquin Consulting and brings with him over a decade of extensive experience in European gambling lobbying and regulatory affairs. He was previously the secretary general of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), a position he held for 13 and a half years until September. During his time at EGBA, Haijer oversaw substantial growth, enhancing the organization's engagement with European Union institutions and national regulators.
EGBA acknowledged Haijer’s contribution to promoting "safe, well-regulated, and competitive multi-licensed markets" throughout Europe and for establishing the annual European Safer Gambling Week.
Before his tenure at EGBA, Haijer held positions within the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation to the European Union.
The WGBA has stated that under Haijer’s leadership, it will launch a global initiative aimed at engaging policymakers and strengthening the evidence base that supports gambling regulations. The organization is set to be formally launched later this year.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Haijer articulated the alliance's goal of uniting the international gaming and betting industry around the principles of "effective regulation, high industry standards, and evidence-led policy". He stressed that gambling should remain a lawful and safe form of entertainment for most adults.
Based in Geneva, this non-profit organization will feature a general assembly, board, and secretariat. Founding members are expected to include notable organizations such as EGBA, Flutter Entertainment, FDJ United, Bet365, and Entain.
In his LinkedIn comments, Haijer emphasized the crucial need for well-regulated gambling markets. A report from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling projected that by 2025, unregulated operators could generate €91.6 billion ($102.4 billion) in gross gambling revenue across the EU’s 27 member states, as opposed to €36.5 billion for regulated operators. This would place the unregulated sector at 72% of the estimated total €128 billion online gambling market.
