Maarten Haijer Appointed Director General of World Gaming and Betting Alliance

Maarten Haijer has been appointed director general of the World Gaming and Betting Alliance. The move brings a veteran of European gambling policy to the Geneva-based non-profit, which plans to launch formally later this year.

The appointment follows Haijer’s 13-and-a-half-year tenure as secretary general of the European Gaming and Betting Association, a role he held until September. According to reporting by iGaming Business, Haijer steered the EGBA through expanded engagement with European Union institutions and national regulators.

Haijer’s Record in Regulation and Lobbying

Haijer previously served in the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation to the European Union. The EGBA credited him with championing safe, well-regulated and competitive multi-licensed markets across Europe. He also established the association’s annual European Safer Gambling Week.

Haijer transitions to the WGBA from Algonquin Consulting. His arrival coincides with the alliance’s stated goal of uniting the international gaming and betting industry.

WGBA Objectives and the Unregulated Market Challenge

The organisation will be structured with a general assembly, board and secretariat. Founding members include the EGBA, Flutter Entertainment, FDJ United, Bet365 and Entain.

In a LinkedIn statement, Haijer outlined the WGBA’s mission to advance “effective regulation, high industry standards and evidence-led policy.” He emphasised that gambling should continue as “a lawful, safe form of entertainment” for the majority of adults. Haijer remarked that the case for robustly regulated gambling markets “has never been more important.”

A report from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling estimated that unregulated operators accounted for €91.6 billion ($102.4 billion) of gross gambling revenue in the EU’s 27 member states. Regulated operators generated €36.5 billion, placing the unregulated sector at 72% of the total €128 billion online gambling marketplace.

The WGBA announced that under Haijer’s leadership the organisation will drive a worldwide initiative focused on engaging policymakers and enhancing the evidence base that underpins gambling regulation. This focus arrives as the scale of unregulated activity makes coordinated international action more pressing for licensed operators and policymakers alike.

Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)

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