Slot advertising banned in Greece
The new igaming regulation in Greece has been tightened especially with regard to machines with random number generator (RNG). Betting limits, a minimum time between each spin of the reels in the slots are stipulated, as well as the prohibition of all advertising of slots outside the websites of online casinos. In addition, operators will only be able to explicitly target people over the age of 21 in their campaigns. The industry looks at the new measures with some suspicion.
Among other things, operators will not be able to associate slot machine advertising with profit expectations and other positive images that can lead to a wrong perception of these among players. ©Mayya666/Pixabay
In Greece, the regulation of the online gambling and betting market since 2011 has not been as satisfactory as could be expected. This has not prevented important international operators such as Bwin, William Hill or Paddy Power, among others, from entered the Greek market with great expectations , and this despite the fact that land-based casinos are not at their best .
The different drafts that have been developed over the last few years have proposed modifications to the basic regulation, some of which have been advantageous for operators and others less so. Worrying is the onerous game tax of 35% about gross income.
One of the most important modifications is the one that concerns the popular slot machines. Initial drafts contemplated that these machines would remain reserved for national operators , but now the market is opening up to foreign competition.
However, the good news has been somewhat overshadowed by a major modification of the law that has been sent to the European bodies for approval . Machines with a random number generator (RNG), such as slots, they suffer from significant limitations :
- Prohibition of advertising slots
- $2 bet limit
- Maximum winnings per game of $5,000
- Minimum time to start a new spin on the rollers is set to 3 seconds
The regulation of games is aimed at combat problematic behaviors associated with online gambling, as is the case with the new regulation in our country which is still waiting to be implemented.
In addition, they establish a series of obligations to online operators . The main one is the duty to alert players once they have reached 80% of the limit they have imposed for deposits. Moreover, customers will have to set their own limits for deposits, losses and playing time.
Advertising in the spotlight
But without a doubt, the most important restriction has to do with the total ban on advertising machines with RNG, that is, slots, beyond the operators' websites . Facebook Instagram Any kind of dissemination on social media must be made sure that it is aimed at people over 21 years of age, which is a problem on networks such as Facebook or Instagram.
Another issue that the Hellenic regulators have emphasized is the way operators promote the games. From now on, positive references to these cannot appear in campaigns, false expectations of earnings or include characters or messages that are attractive to minors.
Any advertising that suggests that thanks to the employment of certain skills the odds of winning increase it is also completely prohibited. And Greece has not been the first country to show its concern about the content of ads .
The Case of La Grossa
Recently, the Lotteries of Catalonia entity looked forced to remove an ad of La Grossa , the fat of the end of the year, due to the false expectations that were generated in it. After numerous criticisms on social networks and from the main political parties, those responsible for the Catalan entity they were apologizing .
In the announcement, an unfortunate association could be read between the social distance promoted by the health authorities due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the social ascent derived from profits obtained by purchasing a lottery ticket.
