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Spain’s gambling regulator has launched a public consultation into new marketing and responsible gambling regulations.

Gambling regulator La Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) published the Draft Royal Decree on Commercial Communications for Gambling activities on February 24, with public responses due to by March 16.

The new regulations are designed to strengthen the 2011 law under which Spain’s regulated online gaming market launched in 2012, since when gambling advertising has increased unabated to the point of sparking a public backlash.

The draft royal decree states that parliamentarians share the public’s concern and aim to balance the commercial interests of operators with adequate protections for consumers, particularly young people.

The 138-page document sets new responsible gambling requirements for operators and also introduces new rules for advertising, promotions and sponsorship.

The new marketing regulations apply to gambling operators and their affiliates and prohibit them from advertising using brands, trademarks or commercial images they do not own, as well as prohibiting any reference to another operator’s games or intellectual property without authorisation.

All advertising must be truthful and socially responsible so as not to promote excessive gambling, and the use of imagery such as luxury products or money will be considered a breach of the social responsibility requirement. Ads that encourage the viewer to share the message of the ad with others will also be deemed irresponsible.

In addition to general rules regarding responsible gambling messaging and preventing children from being exposed to gambling advertising, the draft royal decree sets specific rules by gambling activity and medium.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship agreements involving naming rights to sporting venues will be prohibited, as will any naming rights related to sports teams or any other entity outside the betting and gaming sector. Sponsorship of well-known figures and their use in marketing is also prohibited.

Promotions

No promotional offers will be allowed for new customers above €100 in value, with the draft also giving the regulator authority to set limits on the value of promotions to existing customers.

Bonuses must be shown separately from deposited funds in a player’s account and the bonus rules should not prevent players from withdrawing deposited funds, while loyalty bonuses can only be offered without requiring players to complete a number of bets or games for the bonus to be released.

Players who have increased their deposit limit must be excluded from promotions for a period of 30 days after the increase, and no promotions may be sent to players who have closed their account.

Free Games

Free games can only be offered to registered players who are logged in and must accurately replicate the chances of winning compared to the real-money version of the game so as not to give players a false impression.

Advertising

Radio and television advertising will only be allowed between 1am and 5am, although live sports broadcasts between 8pm and 5am may include ads which do not reference promotions or bonuses of any kind; calls to action such as ‘bet now’; or early cash-out or odds.

Operators must not use well-known characters in ads, real or fictional, with exceptions for characters made famous by the ad and narrators of live broadcasts, and all commercial communications must be immediately identifiable as such.

The advertising rules also set exemptions for pari-mutuel betting, instant lotteries and bingo, which may be advertised from 10pm to 6am in programming rated 18+.

The restrictions do not apply to lottery draw games, which may be advertised freely except for before, during and after programming primarily aimed at children.

Social Networks

Gambling promotions on Twitter and other social networks will also be restricted, with every post from an operator’s official account deemed to be a commercial communication, excluding graphical representations or retransmission of a sporting event.

Every fourth post must be a responsible gambling message and operators must make use of any tools available from social networks to prevent minors from following their accounts.

The draft decree also sets out the requirements for a comprehensive social responsibility policy, including problem gambling prevention mechanisms, self-exclusion and self-prohibition, and compliance.

The Draft Royal Decree on Commercial Communications for Gambling Activities is scheduled to come into force on July 1, 2020.

Gaming Intelligence

Developments related to gambling activities in Kenya published in both Romanian and English in Casino-Magazine.ro

Developments related to gambling activities in Kenya published in both Romanian and English in Casino-Magazine.ro

Developments related to gambling activities in Kenya published in both Romanian and English in Casino-Magazine.ro

Developments related to gambling activities in Kenya published in both Romanian and English in Casino-Magazine.ro

Developments related to gambling activities in Kenya published in both Romanian and English in Casino-Magazine.ro

Developments related to gambling activities in Kenya published in both Romanian and English in Casino-Magazine.ro

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has called on state lawmakers to pass sports betting legislation to stop revenue from flowing to neighboring states.
The governor was joined by a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the Capitol on Thursday to urge lawmakers to pass HB 137, which would legalize sports betting at horserace tracks and the Kentucky Speedway, as well as authorize mobile betting.
The bill, which would also authorize fantasy sports and online poker, passed the House Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee in January by a vote of 18-0, highlighting broad bipartisan support for the measure.
“We have a real urgency in Kentucky. We need new revenue to support the needs of our communities, our state and especially our children who deserve the best education,” said Governor Beshear. “We have an urgency to keep millions of Kentucky dollars from crossing our rivers and going to support the education and pension systems in our neighboring states.
“We are with business, education and pension leaders – Republicans and Democrats – working together on the same team. We all agree that passing sports betting is the right thing to do and we are working together to help move the state forward.”
Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman said: “Sports wagering provides much needed revenue and has bipartisan support in the legislature. Passing this bill is a way we can all work together to support public education and provide Kentucky’s students and teachers the resources they need to cultivate the workforce of the future.”
State Representative Adam Koenig added: “This is a common sense proposal with broad support that would allow adults to legally engage in sports bets as entertainment.
“We know that Kentuckians are already gambling on sports, let’s make a move that allows us to regulate it and generate revenue for the state without raising taxes.”
Currently, sports betting is legal in 20 US states, including Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi and Arkansas.
“Like it or not, residents from every community in the Commonwealth are already betting on sports, either illegally through bookies or online, or legally across our border,” said State Representative Al Gentry. “Regulating and taxing it in Kentucky helps us minimize illegal activity and generate revenues that allow us to help those with addiction problems and contribute millions to our pension liabilities. It helps us retain millions in discretionary spending dollars by our residents within our borders.”
Representatives from the State Fraternal Order of Police, firefighters, property valuation administrators, Kentucky Travel Industry Association, meetNKY, Commerce Lexington and the NKY Chamber also attended Thursday in support.
“As the voice of Kentucky’s business community, passing sports wagering in 2020 is a no-brainer,” said Ashli Watts, president and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “Not only will it make us more competitive with our surrounding states who have enacted it, but it will also put much needed revenue in our state budget to help fund our state’s public pension system.
“Sports wagering is a win-win for Kentucky – it’s good for business, good for taxpayers and we encourage the legislature to take action this General Assembly.”
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