The interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association (iGGBA) merged with the Association of Remote Gambling Operators (ARGO) in 2005 and the merged organisation is one of the primary industry bodies that has been established to execute and promote effective self-regulation of the online gambling industry in the UK and further afield.
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The membership reads like a "Who's Who" of the online gaming industry with all of the major online companies having representation on the executive board or in providing practical resources and assets to enable the body to discharge its responsibilities. The body also works very closely with the UK Gaming Commission and has been instrumental in the promulgation of industry codes of practice and their practical implementation by operators in the remote gambling community.
The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) as the merged body is now known, is based in London and provides industry regulatory oversight for operators across the UK and Europe and anywhere else the membership feels the organisation should have an interest.
The aims of the RGA include the negotiation by collective agreement with trade unions and organisations, the media, the government and regulatory bodies, other employer bodies and any other relevant organisation on behalf of its membership. The RGA is active in representing the interests of its membership before Parliament, other European governments and regulatory bodies overseas as well as liaising with other gaming and gambling bodies.
The RGA seeks to promote social responsibility from its membership and the adoption of high standards of business practice which mirror the minimum standards of the regulatory bodies and exceed them with best business practice. In this respect, the RGA is also active in the promotion of draft legislation in its own right as well as providing industry expertise on proposed laws within the UK and Europe. The RGA also cooperates very closely with charities and care providers involved with delivering services to those with gambling issues as well as promoting and assisting in research into these conditions and what creates them. The RGA also fully supports the protection of children and vulnerable persons from the negative aspects of the gaming industry.
Regulation does not come without a cost, both financial and in terms of the customer experience when playing; the impact of regulation must be closely monitored so that an excessive burden is not placed on the market such that margins are eroded nor the overall cost of playing becomes too expensive for the consumer. The RGA seeks to provide feedback to the government and regulators on the effectiveness of regulation and promoting compliance in a cost effective manner so the entire industry is not artificially obstructed from developing in accordance with free market principles.
Significant recent developments and initiatives include lobbying the European Union Parliament on the trade dispute that has occurred as a consequence of the US ban on online gaming; the publication and enforcement of a Code of Practice in respect of social responsibility obligations and cooperating with GAMCARE and others in a research study into the global issues represented by the international dimension that online and remote gambling has created with a worldwide, 24/7 gaming market.
