Spanish Broadcasters Cease to Carry Gambling Adverts

 A number of European countries have intensified their efforts to ensure that gambling is carried out in the right way and as per the regulations of the authorities. Some of the areas that have proven to be very problematic have been gambling-related harms and underage gambling, both of which need to be addressed as fast and as effectively as possible. Unsurprisingly, gambling advertisements have been a huge contributor to all this and hence there has recently been a ton of effort geared towards curbing them. In Europe, gambling adverts bans are a commonplace and this trend is beginning to spread very rapidly.

Spain is the latest country that has began to champion for responsible advertising. The country’s broadcaster Euskal Irrati Telebista (EITB) have recently announced that they will no longer be carrying ads on the radio, television and digital platforms. In a statement issued by the company’s officials, it was stated that the move was part of their plans to promote responsible gaming behavior by “protecting and safeguarding the right of the most vulnerable against the serious problems of addiction that gambling and betting can create.”

Not A Total Ban

It is important to understand that while the broadcasters’ decision is very broad, it does not really imply a total ban. As such, there will still be ads on such things as ONCE lottery games. In addition to that, Statis betting odds are also still going to be allowed during broadcasts of local football team Basque Pelota. As you can see, there will still be a healthy amount of gambling advertising.

This is not the only time that a Spanish broadcaster has “banned” gaming advertising. TeleMadrid, also known as Radio-Television Madrid, was also recently instructed to put to an end its gambling-related content by the Assembly of Madrid.

More Restrictions to Come

The country is set to introduce even more restrictions on gambling in the near future and this shift will put Spain more in line with recent moves of the United Kingdom and Italy. Regulations pertaining to gaming advertising in both countries have been revised in the recent past and this is mainly geared towards ensuring that the adverts do not target children or any other vulnerable parties. In the United Kingdom, gambling advertisements are totally banned from football matches.

Italy’s new advertising-related regulations were initially considered to be too restrictive and this prompted the authorities to cut the gaming regulators some slack. Fortunately, the revised set of rules have done quite well to ensure that both the consumers and the gaming operators are satisfied.