New Global Trade Body WGBA Names Ex-EGBA Chief Haijer
A brand new trade body has quietly taken shape behind the scenes of the UK and European gambling industry this week, and it already counts some of the biggest names in your app drawer among its backers. The World Gaming and Betting Alliance has named its first ever director general, and the names on its founding member list will be familiar to anyone who plays at a UK-licensed site.
What’s been released
Maarten Haijer, former Secretary General of the European Betting and Gaming Association, has become the first Director General of the Geneva-based World Gaming and Betting Alliance
.
The WGBA was formed in July 2026, with bet365, FDJ United, Flutter and Entain listed as its current members
, meaning the parent companies behind household UK casino and sportsbook brands are now directly tied to the new organisation.
Haijer is not new to this world.
He has served for 13-and-a-half years as the secretary general of the European Gaming and Betting Association
, stepping away from that role before moving into his new post.
He transitions from Algonquin Consulting, bringing over a decade of senior experience in European gambling lobbying and regulation to his new role
.
His extensive career also includes roles within the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation to the European Union
.
The body itself is not quite open for business yet.
The WGBA is expected to launch formally in Geneva later this year, coinciding with the release of its inaugural flagship report
, with reporting pointing to a November date for that debut.
What’s changed
On paper, the WGBA is built to sit alongside existing regional bodies rather than replace them.
The Geneva-based non-profit organisation will be structured with a general assembly, board and secretariat
, giving it a formal governance set-up from day one.
Its core mission focuses on the battle against the black market, advocacy and policy work for a more sustainable gambling sector, and increasing the standards of consumer protection
.
Haijer has framed the project as an evidence-gathering exercise as much as a lobbying one.
The WGBA announced that under his leadership, the organisation will drive a worldwide initiative focused on engaging policymakers and enhancing the evidence base that underpins gambling regulation
. In his own words, the aim is to unite the industry behind
“effective regulation, high industry standards, and evidence-led policy”
so that betting and gaming remain a lawful, safe pastime for the vast majority of adults who enjoy it.
Where it fits
This is not a slot release or a new site launch, and it won’t change what’s sitting in your casino lobby tomorrow morning. But it is worth noting for anyone following the companies behind the UK’s biggest brands. With EGBA itself also named among the WGBA’s founding members, the new alliance looks set to extend the same style of Brussels-facing advocacy that Haijer practised for over a decade, only now on a genuinely global stage spanning the UK, Europe and beyond.
The timing is notable. UK operators have spent much of 2026 absorbing the effects of rising Machine Games Duty and other tax changes, and a coordinated global voice on regulation gives bet365, Flutter and Entain a fresh channel to make their case to policymakers as those pressures continue. Whether that translates into anything UK players will actually notice in their favourite games remains to be seen once the WGBA’s first flagship report lands alongside its formal Geneva launch.
Sources
- SBC News – EGBA’s ex-boss to coordinate brand new gambling trade body
- iGaming Business – Former EGBA exec appointed director general of World Gaming and Betting Alliance
- NEXT.io – Former EGBA chief Maarten Haijer to lead brand new global gambling body
- EGR Intel – Former EGBA chief to head up newly formed global trade body
- InterGame Online – WGBA welcomes new director general
