Maarten Haijer has been appointed as the new director general of the World Gaming and Betting Alliance (WGBA), bringing a wealth of experience to the role. His leadership marks a significant shift in the organization responsible for advancing global gambling regulation.
Haijer arrives at the WGBA after a tenure at Algonquin Consulting and has over a decade of experience in European gambling lobbying and regulation. He previously served as the secretary general of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) for 13 and a half years, where he played a crucial role in expanding the association's influence with European Union institutions and national regulators until September.
During his time at EGBA, he was credited with promoting "safe, well-regulated and competitive multi-licensed markets" throughout Europe, as well as launching the annual European Safer Gambling Week.
With experience in the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation to the European Union, Haijer is well-equipped for his new role. The WGBA expressed confidence that under Haijer's guidance, the organization will initiate global efforts aimed at engaging policymakers and improving the research that supports gambling regulation.
The WGBA is set to officially launch later this year. In a statement on LinkedIn, Haijer articulated the alliance's purpose to unify the international gaming and betting industry around the ideals of "effective regulation, high industry standards and evidence-led policy." He underscored that gambling should remain "a lawful, safe form of entertainment" for most adults.
The Geneva-based non-profit organization will include a general assembly, a board, and a secretariat. Founding members identified so far include prominent entities like EGBA, Flutter Entertainment, FDJ United, Bet365, and Entain.
In his commentary on LinkedIn, Haijer stressed that the need for well-regulated gambling markets has never been more pressing. 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, whereas regulated operators might account for only €36.5 billion. This would place the unregulated segment at 72% of the total €128 billion online gambling market.
