LoGiCO president calls for operator “self-discipline” in run up to ad ban

The president of Italian trade association LOGiCO, Moreno Marasco, has called on Italian gambling operators to exercise “self-discipline” ahead of the full implementation of a ban on gambling advertising in Italy in 2019.

To assist Italian operators scaling down their advertising operations, the association has confirmed it is “developing an ethical advertising self-regulation protocol which, among other things, reduces the invasiveness of advertising on TV, print and online.”

As a part of this strategy, the association invites its members to limit the advertising of winners to its player communications only.

LOGiCO has also released a 15 and 30 second commercial which highlights the issues of problem gambling, featuring a problem gambling helpline, which will be made available to all association members including Stars Group, Bet365, William Hill, LeoVegas and Sky Bet.

It also states a clear “distinction should be made between the strategies of the monopoly holder solely intended to inform potential customers about the existence of products and to ensure regular access to games of chance in controlled circuits, and strategies that invite and solicit active participation in such games.”

The move marks a change in strategy by LOGiCO, which jointly wrote a letter with the European Betting and Gaming Association (EGBA) to Italian MPs denouncing the ban as “counterproductive” last month in the run up to the ban, asking them to vote against its implementation.

However, the Italian senate recently approved the controversial ‘dignity decree’, greenlighting its passage into law.