ENGSO joins The European Lotteries (EL) in Bern for the 12th EL Congress
As a grassroots sport partner, ENGSO was honoured to join its longstanding partner, The European Lotteries (EL), in Bern for the 12th EL Congress, held from 14 to 17 September 2025. United under the inspiring theme “Building a Better World,” the Congress gathered lottery leaders, innovators, and policymakers from across Europe and beyond to shape the future of lotteries in society.
With a forward-looking programme, the Congress addressed topics such as responsible innovation, regulatory challenges, and the crucial role of lotteries in maintaining public trust. Discussions centred on how the lottery sector can continue to evolve while safeguarding its core values and ensuring its relevance for generations to come.
On Tuesday, 16 September, ENGSO Secretary General Sara Massini contributed to the Sport Integrity panel, offering a grassroots perspective. Joined by speakers including Stanislas Frossard, Head of the Sport Division at the Council of Europe; Luca Esposito, Secretary General of ULIS; Nicole Hinder, Director of Child Rights Advocacy at UNICEF Switzerland & Liechtenstein; and Tom Mace, SVP of Regulatory and Integrity Services at Sportradar, she emphasised the importance of protecting integrity at every level of sport with a specific focus on the raising awareness and education for young people.
From the grassroots viewpoint, Sara Massini underlined that to ensure a longstanding cultural change to ensure integrity in sport is crucial to empower young people starting from the grassroots level and provide young athletes the capacity to understand, assess and react in situations where the integrity of sport is at risks exactly as it has been done during the joint project implemented with EL the Young integrity ambassador program.
During the EL General Assembly on 17 September in Bern (Switzerland), members re-elected Romana Girandon as President and appointed a new Executive Committee for the period 2025-2027.
The collaboration between ENGSO and The European Lotteries continues to be a model of mutually beneficial partnership. Both organisations are committed to strengthening grassroots sport in Europe, guided by shared values of democracy, equality, inclusion, sustainability, integrity, and education. This ongoing partnership demonstrates how cross-sector cooperation can support stronger communities and a healthier, more cohesive society.
ENGSO extends its sincere gratitude to The European Lotteries for the invitation and the opportunity to showcase the impact of this collaboration. We would also like to congratulate the President Romana Girandon for her re-election and the newly elected Executive Committee members.
Together, ENGSO and EL reaffirm their joint commitment to advancing sport integrity, promoting values in sport, and ensuring that grassroots sport remains a cornerstone of community life across Europe.