Italian politicians ramp-up anti-advertising rhetoric
MP working on new advertising laws says proposed ban must be brought in "quickly" to reduce risk of organised crime
A proposed ban on gambling advertising in Italy is gaining widespread political support and must be implemented “quickly” if the country is to tackle organised crime, a politician working closely on the draft bill has said.
Speaking on a finance committee this week, Democratic MP Federico Ginato urged parliament to waste no time in prohibiting gambling advertising, a measure which is now “eagerly awaited and shared not only by the majority of political groups but even by the government itself”.
The draft law, which would prohibit any advertising initiative, commercial communication and sponsorship deal for real-money gambling products, has received cross-party support with MP from parties including the Democratic, Alternative Free and 5 Star Movement backing the bill.
Those in favour of the ban argue that gambling advertising has encouraged criminals to use the industry as a conduit for money laundering and other crimes.
“It is quite evident that pockets of lawlessness that we now discover in the market of online gambling would be sharply reduced by prohibiting advertising,” an earlier report complementing the bill read.
In September it was revealed that, should the law come into force, operators would face financial penalties of up to 500,000 if they were found to have breached the new rules.
However, DLA Piper partner and gaming lawyer Giulio Coraggio believes the ban is unlikely to come into force with the government likely to buckle under strong pressure from the gambling industry.
“A total ban would lead to major disputes that the government cannot afford,” Coraggio said.
A ban on gambling advertising would be a huge backward step for an industry which has shown strong growth in recent years amid a major liberalisation drive from gambling regulator AAMS.
Only last month it was announced 80 new online gambling licenses would be issued in July, however, the appeal of these permits would be significantly reduced should operators lose the ability to market their products.