Danish government introduces new social responsibility controls for gambling

The Danish government has proposed new social responsibility controls on licensed gambling companies, with a focus on improving player protection standards in the market.

The government issued draft executive order, which puts in place a number of new requirements on operators, such as mandatory deposit limits, and a requirement for problem gambling support resources to be prominently displayed.

The most notable controls are on sales promotions, bringing in limits on how operators can market offers to players, and restrictions on the sums that may be offered.

These constraints on sales promotions are clearly spelt out, with operators required to immediately award any money on offer to players when these conditions are met.

The following are the other controls:

Players must be required to deposit no more than DKK1,000 (£120.7/€133.9/$154.3), and no sum above this amount may be offered through the promotion. Wagering requirements must not exceed more than 10 times the players’ stake. Any money won through the promotion must not be subject to any such requirements.

Players must be given at least 60 days to fulfil the terms of a promotion, and no offer can be tailored to a single player—at least 100 players must be targeted with the same offer.

The social responsibility controls will see operators required to display links to country’s problem gambling helpline and self-exclusion system ROFUS on their website or user interface at all times. They must also place a link to their licence from the country’s regulator Spillemyndigheden on the upper left or right-hand corner of each web page.

Licensees must also have all players set weekly, daily or monthly deposit limits before they are permitted to start gambling. Operators will also be required to familiarise themselves with each players’ gambling habits, to ensure they can quickly flag any potential problems as soon as they arise.

All information on player’s behaviour, as well as a risk assessment, must be kept on file for at least five years. Licensees will also be required by law to develop internal rules and processes for responsible gambling, as well as train staff to ensure all employees are familiar with these processes.

Rules for self-exclusion have also been tightened, with the regulator required to determine the periods for which players can block access from gambling. Those that self-exclude are to be added to a centralised database, which will be available to all licensees, and have the option to be removed from this list from seven days—and up to 30 days—after requesting they be added.

Operators must check the self-exclusion register before allowing any player to sign up for their services. Before any player receives marketing materials from an operator, the licensee must check the self-exclusion register.

All marketing materials must also include an age restriction, as well as links to ROFUS, the problem gambling helpline and clearly show that the operator in question is licensed by Spillemyndigheden.

The proposals have been put to the iGaming industry for consultation, with submissions accepted until February 4.