The new president of the North American Gaming Regulators Association (NAGRA), Jeremy Locke, has issued a strong call for increased international cooperation,
The new president of the North American Gaming Regulators Association (NAGRA), Jeremy Locke, has issued a strong call for increased international cooperation, particularly with European regulators, to address the challenges of a rapidly globalising gambling industry.
Speaking on a podcast alongside Jamie Wall of the UK Gambling Commission, Locke, who also serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Compliance for the AGCO in Ontario, said the recent “explosive modernisation and evolution” of the North American market has made cross-border partnerships essential. “Regulators across the continent have quickly identified that the world has gotten smaller very quickly,” he said.
A primary driver for this push for collaboration is the issue of sports integrity. Locke highlighted the growing trend of North American customers betting on sporting events that take place in the UK and the rest of Europe.
“When we have those integrity alerts coming in, we all need to come together,” he explained. “The UK may have their integrity team looking at the same thing, but we can act far more efficiently and quickly if we’re co-ordinated in those efforts.” He noted that NAGRA had specifically sought out partners like the UKGC who are recognised as “leaders in regulation” to help the fast-changing North American market evolve.
While advocating for closer ties, Locke was pragmatic about the limits of harmonisation. He ruled out the possibility of a “universally applied regulatory model,” acknowledging the significant and often small differences in legislation between each state and province.
Instead, he argued for finding greater “commonality” in regulatory standards to reduce unnecessary complexity for operators that are active in multiple jurisdictions. “We need to find a way for more seamless regulatory services in integrated markets,” Locke urged. “We should have high standards but make it easy for operators to understand what the requirements are.”
Locke also championed the idea of regulators actively sharing successful models and frameworks with one another. He suggested that there should be no “pride of ownership” in regulatory design and that jurisdictions should be keen to adopt and adapt proven solutions from their counterparts to save time and resources.
His comments signal a new phase in the maturation of the North American regulated market. After a period of intense, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction expansion, its regulatory leaders are now looking outward to build the international alliances needed to effectively govern a truly global industry.
