Portugal mulls online gambling ad restrictions
New communist party bill would limit ads to between 7am and 10:30pm
Portugal’s communist party has drafted a new parliamentary bill which would restrict gambling advertising on TV, radio and online to between the hours of 7am and 10:30pm.
Within the bill, the party has also said it is currently working on proposals to bring Portuguese gambling advertising in line with advertising standards being used for alcohol and tobacco.
It is understood the measures are not in response to the current Covid-19 crisis as the Portuguese state of emergency in relation to the pandemic ended at the weekend.
The Portuguese government reportedly has no plans to extend the state of emergency and is widely expected to begin relaxing restrictions on its citizens over the next month.
Last month, the Portuguese government instituted legislation imposing a partial or total ban on online gambling throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
However, EGR understands this legislation has been scrapped following the early end to the current state of emergency.
Discussing the potential passage of this latest bill through the Portuguese parliament, Tiago Bessa, managing associate at Portuguese law firm Vieira De Almeida, said the bill may pass due to the fallout from the pandemic.
“In the past, it would be a definitive no. However, given the current Covid-19 context and the fact that left-winged parties have been negotiating in the background, we may not rule out this possibility,” said Bessa.
“In addition, although the draft bill is not grounded in sufficient evidence that advertisement could create more problems (in terms of addiction), there is a wave of legislative proposals in the EU that may pave the way or at least facilitate the approval of this amendment.
“In any case, the European Commission would have to be notified,” Bessa added.
If successfully passed, the bill would come into force the day after passage in the Portuguese parliament.