Italy to ban gambling advertising from 2019

Italy’s cabinet has passed the bill to ban gambling advertising from the start of next year. The bill has the provision to grant extended deadline to the advertisers with existing agreements will that would allow them to comply with their existing contracts.

The ban will be applied to all gambling products and services advertised on the internet, radio and television. It will also extend to the advertising of clubs from obtaining gambling sponsors. However, the state-run national lottery and its products have been exempted from the ban.

LOGiCO, a trade body in charge of the interests of online operators in the country, said that they were surprised by the new law. “While fully sharing the concerns of the institutions with regard to problem gambling, LOGiCO does not believe that this ban can produce positive effects in terms of player protection or reduce – and certainly not eliminate – the risks derived from an uncontrolled practice of the games themselves,” the body said.

Labour Minister Luigi Di Maio, who passed the law, said that gambling addiction has affected thousands of families and that the government will find the financial cover for the ban from its new national plan on gambling.

Source: FocusGamingNews