DENMARK TO BAN ANONYMOUS BETTING AND RESTRICT ADVERTISING

Gamblers in Denmark will no longer be allowed to place bets anonymously from next year under new rules announced by lawmakers.

The Danish government is prohibiting anonymous betting with the support of seven political parties from across the political spectrum, with the stated aim of combatting money laundering and match-fixing.

This will see mandatory player cards introduced for all retail betting locations, preventing players from placing bets anonymously at kiosks and over the counter.

“When you go to your local kiosk today to play tonight’s football matches in the Super League, you can do so anonymously,” the government explained. “This makes it difficult for game providers to detect money laundering and match-fixing. And if you have excluded yourself from playing in ROFUS, the exclusion only applies to online betting, and you can therefore still play in the kiosk, just as it is easier for children to play.”

Anonymous betting will be prohibited in Denmark from July 1, 2022, excluding lottery draw games and scratchcards.

“With the player card, we do away with the opportunity to play anonymously in, among other things, football matches. We are thus putting a stick in the wheel of the criminals who use this type of game as a means of, for example, laundering money,” said Morten Bødskov, minister of taxation.

“With the player card, players must register, no matter how small amounts they play for, and data about their games are analyzed and reported to the authorities if it seems suspicious.”

“It is a targeted bet,” Bødskov added, “as this is where the problems with gambling addiction are greatest.”

Denmark’s state-controlled gaming operator Danske Spil introduced mandatory player cards last year.

The agreement on player cards has led several Danish political parties to also call for greater restrictions on gambling advertising.

“For too long, the gaming industry has benefited greatly from luring people into gambling addiction, and today we are taking a whole series of important steps to prevent this,” said Socialist People’s Party member of parliament Carl Valentin.

“We are happy about that in the Socialistisk Folkeparti, but it is not enough. The next step will be to do something about the many advertisements that the industry uses as bait when they need new customers in the store.”

This was echoed by Dennis Flydtkjær of the Danish People’s Party, who welcomed the introduction of the player card but also singled out advertising as a major cause of concern.

“It is good that a better balance is ensured […],” he said. “However, I am most looking forward to the upcoming initiatives, which are described in the agreement, where it has been agreed that we must reduce the amount of advertising for games, and an update of the rules for bank centers.”

Gamingintelligence