The month in regulation: Bans, fines and guidelines
A round-up of the latest news and insight from the regulatory and compliance sector
Italian telecommunications regulator rails against ad ban
Italian telecommunications regulator AGCOM has called on the government to drop its ban on online gambling ads, claiming it is unnecessary and has no grounding in law.
In a 31-page report, AGCOM claimed it was “not necessary” to ban online gambling ads, highlighting a 2014 EU Commission recommendation which said online gambling ads can play an “important role” in channelising consumers to licensed egaming sites.
The report, which evaluates the legal stability of the so-called “Dignity Decree”, cited recent studies which downgraded the link between problem gambling and gambling advertising
Attacking the legality of a blanket ban, AGCOM pointed to an earlier 2013 EU directive, which said: “A receiving Member State must not take any measures which would prevent the re-transmission, in its territory, of television broadcasts coming from another Member State.”
GambleAware launches second phase of ‘Bet Regret’ campaign
GambleAware has launched the second wave of activity in its ‘Bet Regret’ campaign, which targets impulsive betting, adding the phrase ‘think twice’ to its slogan.
Advertisements will now feature the line ‘Think Twice or You’ll Bet Regret it’, with TV ads supported by slogans on shirts via the 42 football sponsorships given to the charity earlier this month by GVC.
Marc Etches, CEO of GambleAware, said the ‘Bet Regret’ campaign was starting to gain momentum and was resonating with its audience.
“This season, we look to build on that, drive more conversations around safer gambling, and help people Think Twice to steer clear of Bet Regret,” Etches said.
Bwin and Kindred hit with Dutch fines as regulator gets tough
GVC’s Gibraltar subsidiary Electraworks Limited has been fined €350,000 by the Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) for offering egaming without a licence.
An investigation by the KSA found that several online games and sports betting markets were being offered on the bwin.com site to Dutch consumers from 3 August 2018 to 16 January 2019.
Kindred has also been hit with a €470,000 fine by the Dutch regulator for targeting Dutch consumers last year.
The Dutch Gambling Authority said its research showed that online gambling was offered to Dutch consumers from 11 August 2018 to 27 December 2018.
UK online operators argue against credit card gambling ban
Online gambling operators have warned against a blanket ban on gambling with credit cards, according to new evidence submitted to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).
The comments came as the UKGC launched a 12-week consultation into whether to ban the use of credit cards in gambling, following an initial call for evidence in July.
According to the Commission it received 25 responses from operators, with “most” arguing against the need for a ban.
Firms argued any ban would force players to look for other more harmful ways of funding their gambling, such as the use of overdrafts and loans.
Malta Gaming Authority launches new responsible advertising guidelines
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has announced several new advertising standards for Malta-licensed operators in the areas of responsible gambling, player protection and sponsorships.
Under the new rules, all advertisements must be socially responsible, with regard to the need to protect minors and other vulnerable persons from harm or exploitation.
Operators are required to display responsible gambling messaging within all commercial communications and must clearly display age-restricted warnings on their respective sites.
Under the new standards, all sponsorships are limited to text, logo or imagery that serve the exclusive purpose of identifying the authorised person and excludes product placement.