Spain announces lift of gambling ad restrictions
Spain’s government lifted the temporary restrictions on gambling advertising it implemented during lockdown. Gambling market limits on ads were issued on 1 April and the emergency state in the country is set to last until 21 June. New rules were put in place to protect players under lockdown who might show growing temptations to gamble online.
The limits were reportedly successful, and after the end of the lockdown, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is looking into making it permanent, so ads will be restricted to radio, TV, and online video platforms from 1 to 5am. There will be some exceptions, however, for betting ads during live sports events that take place in the evening (after 8 PM).
The regulations are similar to the ones Spain mentioned at the beginning of the year, stating the ads impact the health and safety of citizens, and would likely prohibit close to 80% of gambling ads. The original proposal also featured a rule that ads cannot have famous people as the spokesperson, and the government will decide celebrity status.
The European Commission is reviewing the regulations to ensure it doesn’t conflict with European Union rules involving unfair restriction of trade.
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