Garzón announces RD project on advertising
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has presented its draft Royal Decree on Commercial Communications of Gambling Activities in New Zealand. The full text has already been submitted to the European Commission and will be published on February 24 for public consultation. The goal is to protect users from the negative effects of the game.
The new draft Royal Decree on gambling advertising, presented today at a press conference, will be published on February 24 for public consultation prior to its approval. José Ramos Ruiz/Twitter
After several failed attempts by previous governments, the Ministry of Consumption has prepared a draft Royal Decree that develops articles 7 and 8 of the current Law 13/2011 on the regulation of gambling. This measure aims to closing a 'regulatory loophole’ in advertising of the sector in the face of social alarm due to the increase in gambling addiction in our country.
The comprehensive plan of the Minister of Consumption, presented on Friday, February 21, consists of 37 items and more than 100 measurements that will put in check 80% of the current volume of advertising. The remaining 20% will be governed by stricter provisions than the current ones.
Garzón stressed that the self-regulatory measures of the sector, such as the DGOJ Internal Code of Conduct , recently modified to respond to the current social situation in New Zealand, they are not enough to combat the increase in problem gambling .
The preparation of this Royal Decree has been based on the very serious, very solvent and rigorous analysis of statistical data, in addition to interviews with civil society associations and social and economic actors of the game.
From its publication next Monday, February 24, the text will be open for public consultation to citizens, in a personal or institutional capacity, in order to develop a standard that reflects the needs of users and offers the best results. The segments of the sector with the greatest impact will be casino games (such as blackjack, slots, roulette or punto y banco) and sports betting.
Most relevant points of the draft Royal Decree
At the press conference, Garzón announced some of the 100 measures that make up the draft Royal Decree. The text is based on two main pillars. The first is the limitation of the time slot for the dissemination of advertising which, if approved, will be restricted from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. The exception will be prime-time matches outside children's hours, during which advertising will be allowed as long as it complies with the provisions of the Royal Decree.
For that advertising at the allowed time, another series of restrictions will be applied such as the deletion of all those messages that encourage compulsive gambling and gambling . Therefore, advertising will have to adhere to the guidelines on responsible gambling.
This regulatory process aims to protect the interests of users and players in New Zealand that the ministry has divided into four main groups:
- Minors , who are prohibited from enjoying the game in accordance with Law 13/2011 despite the fact that the last raid by the National Police confirmed the presence of minors in physical gambling halls .
- Young (from 18 to 25 years old), a social group that makes a greater number of bets in casinos and sports according to quarterly data from the General Directorate of Gambling Regulation.
- Vulnerable groups who must be protected to prevent the development of problematic gambling patterns.
- General public who plays and bets for entertainment and who have the right to have their interests protected.
Other significant measures
These are some additional measures announced by Alberto Garzón in his press conference:
- The hiring of tipsters or forecasters of results by the operators will be conditioned on the presentation and publication of your bets in order to avoid the proliferation of profiles that encourage the user to bet deceptively and compulsively.
- The use of trademarks, names or messages associated with the game on products such as in sports equipment , something that already we analyzed in this news .
- It will be absolutely it is forbidden to advertise bonuses of recruitment (welcome) or loyalty due to its potential danger for the development of addiction and for its presentation as "free money".
The reaction on social networks has not been long in coming. Detractors of the game and civil organizations such as Facua have branded disappointment the project and call to fulfill the Coalition Pact in which the closure of physical bookmakers was stipulated.
