BetBlocker’s Pedro Romero hails the importance of the Sustainable Gambling Zone

• BetBlocker’s Pedro Romero has spoken about the importance of the Sustainable Gambling Zone
• He noted that BetBlocker has been looking to provide additional layers of protection and studying consumer behavior and what they need
• However, Romero also advised against complacency when it comes to estimating how much has been done to protect consumers

The Sustainable Gambling Zone, part of the Consumer Protection Zone originally launched at ICE 2018, has been steadily expanding and drawing more attention to its main focus - promoting safe and responsible gambling to industry decision-makers and establishing sustainable play as the basis of core industry standards.

This year, BetBlocker International became one of four safer gambling charities to receive a donation of €20,000. The money was raised by 11 brands who have been actively promoting responsible play, including Acordjoc, Betsson Group, BGaming, Cirsa, Flutter, Grupo Orenes, Merkur, MerkurDosniha, Novomatic, Novomatic Spain and Zitro.

With the 2026 donations, the total amount the brands have donated to support this cause has risen to €462,500.

Pedro Romero, Head of SG Partnerships at BetBlocker International, spoke about the role ICE Barcelona plays in leading harm minimization initiatives. He called it a recognition of the charity’s efforts in protecting consumers and ensuring that everyone feels safer when playing.

"ICE is probably the most influential event in the gambling sector, so the fact that player protection and safer gambling have a visible place on the show floor really matters; it challenges the industry to do better."

He noted that the Sustainable Gambling Zone was a project focused on minimizing harm, protecting players, and ensuring that these issues are part of the mainstream industry conversation.

"ICE has done a lot of work to highlight the importance of a safer and more sustainable approach to gambling. That visibility helps charities, researchers, operators, regulators and other stakeholders come together and have conversations that can lead to real progress," Romero added.

Romero noted that BetBlocker was not simply interested in scaling, but also in understanding how features such as the one included in the tool can better support people who want additional layers of protection.

The goal is to ensure new developments are not only technically useful, but also informed by evidence, lived experience, and expert input.

Romero noted that in 2025 alone, the charity has supported more than 300,000 active users worldwide, a significant milestone. However, he also advised against complacency:

"However, we need more of the wider industry to engage with them consistently. We need more organisations to not only support these initiatives publicly, but also use the knowledge and tools that come from them to make meaningful changes in how they protect players and reduce gambling-related harm."

You can find out more about ICE Barcelona 2027, including developments around the Sustainable Gambling Zone, at this link.

Image credit: Unsplash.com