Italy to ban gambling ads

The Council of Ministers approved a ban on gambling advertising, and online operators don’t believe its benefits.

Italy.- Italy’s Council of Ministers decided to pass the bill that bans gambling advertising, which will come into force on January 1st, 2019. While advertisers with existing agreements obtained an extended deadline to comply with their contracts, online operators are not happy with the overall decision.

The ban will be applied to gambling products and services advertised on the internet, radio and television, as well as stopping clubs from obtaining gambling sponsors. The only operators exempt from the ban are the state-run national lottery and its products.

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.