Ombudsman’s Recommendations to Impose Restrictions on Gambling Ads in Spain Greenlighted

The government in Spain has today confirmed that it will be considering ‘all recommendations’ given by Spain’s Civic Ombudsman in connection with the gambling-related ment across the entire country. The recommendations received approval from Spain’s Ministry of Finance, which will consequently result in new advertising limitations to be imposed.</>

According to Spanish media, despite not holding a legislative majority, the PSOE government will draft a ‘Royal Decree.’ This document aims to establish new gambling advertising restrictions implemented as federal law across all Spanish provinces.

Exceptions and Misunderstandings

Once a decree is drafted…

…all forms of ments with this content will be prohibited statewide. The only exceptions will be national and regional lotteries as well as ONCE (national disability/blind charity) wagering services.

As for the Ombudsman’s recommendations…

…Spanish lawmakers should establish a specific legislative framework on provisions which aim to regulate online gambling operators and their digital advertising inventories. Criticism came from Spanish betting leaders, stating that the recommendations had been based on a ‘misinformed agenda,’ which treated licensed brands as if they were black-market actors.

Plans for the Future

As a small reminder…

…the official regulators in Spain Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) introduced a plan which aims to focus on key aspects of the gaming industry and its impacts on consumers and the overall community. If everything goes by the plan, the 3-year strategy’s goals should be achieved by 2022.

That’s exactly when the initial proposals for banning the ads appeared…

… striving to protect society from inappropriate content. Among the suggested measures, the regulatory body will put plenty of efforts to raise awareness and educate consumers to act responsibly.

Adverts Regulation Globe-Wide

Proving that the industry is ready to take serious steps against excessive advertising…

…the institutions in charge are fighting their own battles, by punishing the operators which fail to follow the rules. In May this year, ASA (Advertising Standard Agency) penalized three brands for distributing non-compliant content.

Certain institutions came up with even stricter suggestions…

…proposing that celebrities or athletes should not be involved in gaming ads. One of the territories which came up with this announcement was Belgium, which also prohibited suppliers from broadcasting their offers on TV.

Kenya gave the same proposal involving celebs, but it encountered a disagreement and was temporarily suspended. The reason for this was MC Moreydoc’s lawsuit against the Betting Control and Licensing Board’s (BCLB). As far as MC claims, such proposals have a significant impact on his income. Among other arguments, he pointed out that the prohibition was imposed without public .

Source:

”Spain edges closer to gambling ment ban”, casinobeats.com, August 7, 2019.