SpanishGambling Regulator DGOJ Proposes Alterations in Advertising Strategies for Lotteries
Spicing Up Spain's Gambling Game:
Spanish authorities are shaking up the gambling scene with a draft resolution aimed at lottery operators and marketers, reminiscent of the restrictions enforced on gambling operators at the end of 2020. This shift, announced by the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), is under public scrutiny until March 1, 2023, inviting feedback from stakeholders.
Taming the Ticket Tycoons
The proposed measures address lottery operators and their marketing associates, striving to impose advertising restrictions similar to those applied to gambling operators. Age verification through national databases is essential, ensuring minors and prohibited individuals can’t purchase lottery tickets.
Online platforms marketing lottery products must display a seal verifying their authenticity, and third-party marketing partners must ensure transparency in lottery product sales. This will empower consumers to make informed decisions, while maintaining trust in the system.
Spain's national lotteries, ONCE and SELAE, can collaborate with third parties for marketing and sales purposes. These partnerships extend to public vendors, including cafes, restaurants, tobacco shops, and retail stores.
The draft regulation also reaches back to Spain's Law on Gaming Regulation from May 2011 and the Royal Decree from November 2020, reinforcing advertising restrictions for gambling operators. This expansion encompasses restrictions on TV, radio advertising, and bonuses, extending these limitations to lottery operators and their public vendor partners.
Protecting the Public Purses
This regulatory move was prompted by the DGOJ's observation of a surge in online lottery vendors. The need to safeguard these platforms' reliability and transparency to the public has grown more urgent.
In November, the DGOJ reported significant financial sanctions against 53 online gambling operators, totaling €84.3 million, marking a considerable increase compared to the previous year. Although several licensees were deprived of their licenses, the majority were penalized for violating gambling advertising restrictions implemented in 2020.
While Spain steers its course towards tighter gambling regulations, countries like the Netherlands and Italy offer differing approaches. The Netherlands is implementing changes in its gambling policies, including advertising restrictions, while Italy considers lifting its gambling advertising ban, shedding light on the evolution of such restrictions.
In response to a surge in online lottery vendors, the draft resolution aims to reinforce advertising restrictions for these operators, similar to those previously enforced on online gambling operators. This move also aims to protect the reliability and transparency of online lottery platforms, backed by collaborations with casino-and-gambling operators like ONCE and SELAE.
The new regulations will also extend to lotteries, including age verification, authenticity seals for online platforms, and transparency requirements for third-party marketing partners, promoting informed decision-making among consumers. This regulatory push mirrors past restrictions on online gambling operators in Spain, including limitations on TV, radio advertising, and bonuses.
