Maarten Haijer has been appointed as the new director general of the World Gaming and Betting Alliance (WGBA), marking a leadership change in the global gambling regulation landscape.
Haijer transitions from Algonquin Consulting, bringing over a decade of senior experience in European gambling lobbying and regulation to his new role.
Haijer is noted for his 13-and-a-half-year tenure as secretary general of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), a position he held until September. Over his tenure, he steered EGBA through significant growth, with the association expanding its engagement with European Union institutions and national regulators.
EGBA credited Haijer with championing “safe, well-regulated and competitive multi-licensed markets” across Europe and establishing its annual European Safer Gambling Week.
His extensive career also includes roles within the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation to the European Union.
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”.
WGBA to launch formally later this year
In a statement shared via LinkedIn, Haijer outlined the alliance’s mission to unite the international gaming and betting industry behind the principles of “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.
The Geneva-based non-profit organisation will be structured with a general assembly, board and secretariat.
Founding members reportedly include influential entities such as EGBA, Flutter Entertainment, FDJ United, Bet365 and Entain.
Regulating gambling markets
In his LinkedIn commentary, 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, in 2025, unregulated operators accounted for €91.6 billion ($102.4 billion) of gross gambling revenue in the EU’s 27 member states, compared with €36.5 billion for regulated operators.
That would put the unregulated sector at 72% of the total €128 billion online gambling marketplace.
Kathryn Evans
Kathryn covers bitesize breaking news with a primary focus on EMEA and US legislation. A proud North Walian, fluent Welsh speaker and lifelong Wrexham FC fan – long before Hollywood came calling.