Spain has taken the lead in the battle against gambling damage
Spain aims to encourage attempts to reduce the effect of gambling on the society's most disadvantaged population. Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzon, speaking to the Spanish Parliament, explained that the Council of Ministers would ratify the new earlier gambling commercial restrictions within weeks.
Restriction On Gambling Advertisements
Back in February, in an effort to counter the addiction in the region, Alberto Garzon announced government plans to crack down on ads by gambling firms and casinos. Over the past decade, spain's gaming industry has expanded as online poker, sports betting and casinos outperformed state-owned lottery and slot machines for pubs and restaurants, and the implementation of the Royal Decree on Advertising aimed to shield users from youth and gambling.
"The regulation has to be similar to tobacco. We are not regulating the textile sector here, but a sector that has an impact on public health".
Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzon
But the minister didn't stop here and proceeded to regulate commercial gambling firms further in July. As part of the strengthening of commercial channels for the gambling industry, the latest package of regulations includes a ban on gambling advertisements for activities held before 8 p.m. and the use of 'the name of a betting operator's brand or trade name to describe a sporting venue or entertainment center.'
Sponsorship Deals Under Influence
Sponsorship agreements with gambling companies were banned under new regulations and gambling operators were barred from making their name featured on sports team jerseys, with the government also mulling on the termination of all sports betting deals, as new restrictions would be introduced in early October and current deals would be given a brief transition time.
The Minister of Public Affairs couldn't understand that clubs wanted to renew their shirt sponsorship agreements at the start of the new season in La Liga, aware of the proposed revised federal advertisement law. Alberto Garzon, speaking to sports broadcaster Onda Madrid, raised his finger at their recklessness.
"The law is the law. Clubs have been reckless renewing their sponsorships. From October no new contract can be signed and there will be a short period in which to extinguish their existing ones".
Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzon
Amid the current package of regulations being strongly criticized by the JDigital operators' association, Garzon defended the reforms as appropriate to counter a market with a especially detrimental effect on the most disadvantaged people in Spain.
According to industry reports, Garzon noticed that 40% of new entrants were under 26, a troubling finding for the minister that the market is rising on the basis of very disadvantaged people and advertisement is one of the reasons this business has expanded and this form of operation is centralized, which can have tragic repercussions.
