The European Lotteries

What The European Lotteries does

The European Lotteries (EL) is the Brussels-based European umbrella association of national lottery and sports-betting operators, founded in 1999 and registered in Belgium. Its 71 members operate in 41 European countries, including all 50 EU member states, with members restricted to entities holding state licenses in their home jurisdictions and complying with AML, responsible gaming, and other regulatory requirements. EL functions as the largest and most representative trade body for the European lottery sector, providing collective EU-level advocacy, industry standards (including mandatory Responsible Gaming certification, with 93% of members certified), integrity initiatives through co-founding ULIS, and aggregated sector research via the annual EL Report on the Lottery Sector in Europe.

EL's product surface is built around member services rather than commercial technology products. Core offerings include the EL Learning Platform (an e-learning system launched in April 2020 covering general and lottery-specific modules such as CSR), the EL Corporate University (ELCU) Induction and Executive modules for member-staff development, the Women's Initiative in Lottery Leadership (WiLL) mentoring programme, and an annual research publication tracking sector-wide economic and societal metrics. The organization also runs member events (Industry Days, RG & Sustainability Seminar, Marketing Seminar, Sports Betting Seminar) and maintains the Lottery Innovation Library as a knowledge resource.

EL is a non-profit association funded by membership dues from its 71 regular members and tiered fees from associate members (technology and service suppliers such as Scientific Games, Aristocrat Interactive, Intralot, Playtech, Sportradar, and others). The organization is led by President Romana Girandon, Secretary General Piet Van Baeveghem, and Honorary President Ray Bates, supported by a small Brussels staff of approximately 21. EL's own operating revenue is not separately disclosed; the widely cited €29.4 billion figure refers to the aggregate societal contributions made by EL member lotteries in 2024, not EL's own finances.

Name

The European Lotteries

Legal name

The European Lotteries and Toto Association

Website

https://european-lotteries.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The European Lotteries (EL) is the Brussels-based umbrella association of 71 state-licensed national lottery and sports-betting operators across 41 European countries, providing EU-level advocacy, responsible-gaming standards, integrity programs, and member education for the regulated European lottery sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lottery Industry Association Services

NAICS

Gambling Industries (7132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Lottery Operators (Government & Private Licensed) (MPAEAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lottery Regulatory, Compliance & Licensing Services (MPAEAFAK), Lottery Data, Analytics & Responsible Gaming Tools (MPAEAFAJ)

Keywords

• Lottery association
• Responsible gaming
• National lotteries
• Regulatory advocacy
• Gambling compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Association membership dues: European Lotteries generates revenue through membership fees from its 71 member organizations operating national lotteries across Europe. Members include state lottery operators and associate members (suppliers).

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The European Lotteries (EL) is the European umbrella association of national lottery operators and other games of chance providers, including sports betting. It represents 71 member organizations across 41 European countries, providing advocacy, knowledge sharing, professional development, and industry research on responsible gaming, sustainability, and regulatory compliance.

Product overview

The European Lotteries (EL) is an industry association, not a product company. It does not offer a commercial product or platform in the traditional sense. Its primary offerings are organizational services including the EL Learning Platform (an e-learning platform for member lottery employees), educational programs such as the EL Corporate University (ELCU) Induction and Executive modules, industry events and seminars, research reports on the European lottery sector, and networking platforms like the Women's Initiative in Lottery Leadership (WiLL) mentoring programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EL Learning Platform An e-learning platform accessible to all employees at EL member lotteries, offering general and lottery-specific modules covering topics such as Corporate Social Responsibility. Launched in April 2020.
• EL Corporate University (ELCU) A comprehensive education programme for lottery sector professionals, including the Induction Module for new entrants and the Executive Module for senior managers, covering lottery operations, game design, marketing, digital transformation, responsible gaming, and CSR.
• Women's Initiative in Lottery Leadership (WiLL) Mentoring Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• €29.4 billion contributed to society in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• World Lottery Association (WLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEL collaborates with WLA on joint seminars and initiatives including the EL/WLA Responsible Gaming & Sustainability Seminar and EL/WLA Sports Betting Seminar. Both organizations work together on shared objectives around responsible gaming and industry standards.
• ULIS (United Lotteries for Integrity in Sport)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEL is a founding member of ULIS, which focuses on protecting sports integrity and combating illegal sports betting. EL actively participates in ULIS integrity seminars and panel discussions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Sportradar: Sports betting and integrity monitoring technology provider, and an EL associate member. Comparable in that it participates in lottery-sector integrity initiatives (e.g., ULIS), but it is a private technology vendor rather than a trade association.
• La Française des Jeux (FDJ): France's national lottery operator and an EL member. Comparable as a state-licensed lottery operator subject to EL's standards and advocacy, but is a commercial operator rather than an association, so it is a member/customer of EL rather than a peer in the trade-body sense.
• Allwyn (formerly Camelot Group): Operator of national lotteries in multiple jurisdictions (e.g., UK National Lottery, others in Europe). Comparable as a lottery operator under EL's scope but is a private commercial operator, not an association — making it a member/operator rather than a peer.

Regional players

• Corporación Iberoamericana de Loterías (CIBELAE): Ibero-American lottery association of national lottery operators. Operates in the same category as EL (lottery association for licensed state operators) but is focused on Latin America and Spain/Portugal, so territorial overlap is limited.
• North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL): Association representing state and provincial lottery operators in the U.S. and Canada. Comparable in structure and mission (membership-based, advocacy, training) but serves North America and does not overlap with EL's European footprint.
• Asian Pacific Lottery Association (APLA): Regional umbrella for lottery operators in the Asia-Pacific region. Similar mandate to EL (responsible gaming, integrity, member support) but in a different geography, making it a comparable rather than competing association.

Direct peers

• World Lottery Association (WLA): Global umbrella association for state-licensed lotteries, co-hosting seminars with EL on responsible gaming, sustainability, and sports betting. The closest functional peer as a non-profit lottery trade body, though it operates globally rather than just in Europe.
• European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA): Brussels-based trade association representing private online gaming and betting operators in Europe. Closely comparable in form (Brussels-based industry association advocating on EU regulation) but covers private operators rather than state-licensed lotteries, putting it in an adjacent but partially competing advocacy space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EULotteries
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ5vZXLhT4KlJqpLio_3yig
• Facebookfacebook.com/EuropeanLotteries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-european-lotteries

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The European Lotteries