Spain-based casino operator, Grup Peralada Casinos, has achieved certification according to the European Casino Association’s (ECA) Responsible Gambling Framework following an independent audit by the G4 Group of Responsible Gaming expert Pieter Remmers. Certification of the three-strong Spanish casino group ensures that Grup Peralada Casinos is operating in adherence with the latest standards in Responsible Gambling upheld by the licensed land-based casinos industry in Europe.
Grup Peralada Casinos joins a growing number of ECA members currently certified according to the Responsible Gambling Framework 2018, which includes Casino Cosmopol (Sweden), Casino 2000 (Luxembourg), Spielbanken Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Spielbanken Niedersachsen (Germany), the French JOA Group, Holland Casino, Casinos Austria, as well as others – with several leading operators currently undergoing the process.
Certification is granted to ECA member casinos after an independent third-party audit has been conducted. The ECA Responsible Gaming Framework has been developed with input and leadership from eminent researchers in the field of gambling addiction over several years. The certification according to this standard is exclusive to members of the European Casino Association.
Grup Peralada Casinos is part of the leisure division of the holding company Grup Peralada, which has operated land-based casinos in Catalonia for more than 40 years. Grup Peralada Casinos has implemented a Responsible Gaming Programme in its three land-based casinos, Casino Barcelona, Casino Peralada and Casino Tarragona and its online gaming platform, CasinoBarcelona.es, since 2019. To ensure the success of its Responsible Gaming policy, Grup Peralada Casinos works closely with the Hospital de Bellvitge and its Biomedical Research Institute, Asociación Centro Catalán de Adicciones Sociales (ACENCAS, Catalan Association for Social Addictions) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (the government of Catalonia).
The main criteria of the ECA Responsible Gambling Framework covers the following topics:
- Employee Training
- Player Education
- Entrance Policies
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Advertising and Marketing
- Research and Awareness
“I congratulate Grup Peralada Casinos for participating in the certification process and achieving the highest standards set out within the ECA’s Responsible Gambling Framework. Responsible Gambling is the tenet to which all members of the ECA are fully committed. The totally independent nature of the audit ensures that these principles are indisputable and represent the highest levels of probity adopted by our members,” said ECA Chairman, Erwin van Lambaart. “The ECA not only holds itself accountable to an unwavering set of principles by which the licenced and legal land-based casino industry operates in Europe but promotes independent scrutiny by industry professionals to ensure the highest levels of transparency and scrutiny are adhered to at all times.”
It is a stated goal of the ECA that all members should implement the Responsible Gambling Framework at the earliest opportunity and comply with the latest responsible gambling measures as outlined in the framework.
“It is an honour for our casinos in Barcelona, Peralada and Tarragona to be the first land-based casinos in Spain to receive this recognition, and it encourages us even more to continue implementing new responsible gaming measures for the benefit of our customers,” said José Maria Roig, CEO Grup Peralada Casinos. “In keeping with our values and ethical principles, based on responsibility, professional rigour, honesty and commitment to society, the aim of our Responsible Gaming programme is to promote a new gaming culture in which the activity can be enjoyed as entertainment within controllable limits. We aim to shape gaming into a socially sustainable activity, fostering the collaboration of all those involved in keeping with a philosophy of prevention, awareness and information.”
