Moldovan parliament signals approval for lifting strict ban on gambling advertising
Some gambling advertising would be allowed but with tight conditions.
Moldova.- The Moldovan parliament has approved the first reading of a draft law that would allow some forms of gambling advertising for low-risk verticals. The proposal would mean an end to the complete ban on gambling ads, but conditions would be very specific.
Broadcast advertising and audiovisual would be permitted between 10.00pm and 7am and during sports competitions broadcast live by national service providers. Meanwhile, display advertisements would be allowed for games such as lotteries and sports betting provided they do not exceed A4 size and are only displayed at retail outlets.
The Party of Action and Solidarity banned all gambling advertising after coming to power in 2021 but now proposes certain advertising to be allowed with strict conditions. The initiative was authored by deputies Radu Marian and Dorian Istratii due to difficulties in applying the total ban.
The authors point out that in most European countries advertising for betting is allowed, including during international broadcasts of sports. Moldova’s ban therefore makes broadcasts of international sporting events potentially a violation of the law.
Under the proposed revision, the National Lottery of Moldova would also be able to publish lottery results on its website. All advertising materials would need to include warnings about the potential negative impact of gambling. These would have to represent at least 20 per cent of the advertising material’s time or area.
“Most restrictions on advertising will remain in place,” Marian said. “The most intrusive advertising, such as advertising on the internet and on street banners, will remain prohibited. Also, the ban on advertising for games of chance with the greatest social risk, such as automatic machines, slots, casinos and others, will remain.”
The draft law must still pass a second reading by the parliament. Previously, the opposition had criticised this initiative. It reminded parliament that in 2021 “one of the deputies of the parliamentary majority, who now holds the position of Minister of Economy, publicly boasted that he had done a good thing for the country by limiting gambling advertising”.
In July, neighbouring Romania saw president Klaus Iohannis promulgate a decree to create a new strategy to tackle addiction, including gambling harm. Drafted by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Justice, the decree proposes eight regional centres for the treatment of addictions, one in each of the country’s eight administrative regions.
Romanian MPs have raised concerns about gambling addiction. However, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s executive order banning gambling venues in small towns hit a snag when the Supreme Court ruled that it required a constitutional review.
