In a bid to stop the government from imposing stricter gambling advertising laws, Spanish gambling operators have agreed to sign a voluntary code of conduct. It is expected that the deal will come into effect from January 15th, 2020.
JDigital, a betting trade association in the country created this code online. Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) gave it the consent for the mid-January launch date.
Main legislation terms
In this voluntary agreement, gambling operators in Spain have been advised to take a responsible gambling approach. Messages endorsing this must be visible in all ads, while people less than 25 years of age must also not feature in them. Also prohibited are celebrity endorsements from individuals with a large youth fanbase.
Although limitations to bonus offers don’t go as far as other countries, like the UK where promotional ads are prohibited during competitive matches, there are nonetheless some restrictions to these.
As mentioned on the Affiliateinsider.com website, in the past, the government in this Southern European nation has warned to get harsh on all gambling ads. Also, these plans have been backed by Spain’s ombudsman. Operators have to wait to find out if their voluntary terms satisfy them; however, are hopeful that this will be the case.
A new government in Spain
In Spain’s recent elections, no outright majority won, thus a coalition was formed. It will be between the UP and the PSOE ruling party, the former of which does not support gambling.
However, UP has been subject to gambling-related controversy. Its election campaign presented somebody who argued that their life had been destroyed by bookmakers and betting. The same person uploaded video from a recent skiing holiday, prompting some to question the validity of these claims.
