Key points:
- Macau Government looking for cross-sector involvement in advertising review
- Goal is broadly to simplify advertising licensing
- Consultation document suggests potential ban on advertising any gambling activities
Director of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, Yau Yun Wah, today kicked off a month-long public consultation review into advertising licensing in Macau.
The cross-sector consultation suggests an amendment to the “Advertising Activities Law,” which the bureau says is out of date.
The full extent of how this will impact gambling advertising will likely not be clear until some time after August when the review ends.
Gambling advertising is just one part of the review and any changes would reportedly be in order to align policy with the Government's ambition to simplify advertising licensing processes.
Current advertising laws have been in place for 35 years and the consultation document posits that advertising technology is so divorced from what it was when the Advertisement Act was enacted in 1989 that it demands a revamp.
Good to know: The current rules do allow gambling operators to advertise games, but not if the games themselves are the essential element of the advertisement – there are, however, concessions for casinos
It does appear that if this amendment becomes law, there may yet be exceptions for lotteries and football bets approved under the Gambling Tax Act.
Anyone eager to participate in any of the five consultation meetings is invited to attend or submit suggestions on the consultation document remotely.
