Romania may launch a crackdown on gambling advertising a year after it opened its gaming and sports betting market to regulated international operations.
Media reports emerged that the country’s government is currently discussing a Draft Law that, if adopted, will amend the existing laws on advertising. The proposed legislation is currently in the Romanian Senate, awaiting one final approval.
According to legal research website Lexology, the legislative piece may cause confusion as it does not provide clear definitions on what will be prohibited in terms of gambling advertising and what will be allowed.
Generally speaking, the Draft Law reads that gambling ads will only be allowed in gambling premises and gambling-oriented publications. In addition, audiovisual commercial communications, that is any activities related to the promotion of gambling services, will too be banned.
However, the wording of the proposed legislation suggests different interpretations of what will be legal and what will not, if it takes effect as a law. The Draft Law can, for instance, be interpreted as one that prohibits the use of the Internet as a medium for the promotion of gambling services.
On the other hand, gambling websites may be seen as gambling premises and advertising on gambling premises will thus be legal under the proposed amendments. Here it is also important to note that Romania’s existing gambling law allows licensed operators to advertise gambling on their websites.
It is believed that the lack of explicitness and clear-cut definitions will stir further debate in relation to the proposed amendments’ adequateness. What is more, if adopted in its current form, the Draft Law may collide with existing advertising and gambling laws.
Romania’s new gambling regulatory regime was adopted in late 2014, but it was not until last year when the country’s gambling regulator – Oficiul National pentru Jocuri de Noroc – began issuing licenses to interested operators and service providers. The local market attracted some of the industry’s big names, including PokerStars, 888, Microgaming, and NetEnt.
Romania has not been the only country to have recently been considering the implementation of stricter regulations on gambling ads. It became known earlier this month that Belgium’s Minister of Justice Koen Geens was crafting a piece of legislation that would contain restrictions on the promotion of gambling services on local television.
Reportedly, the legislation would ban any gambling ads from being broadcast on television before an 8 pm watershed. What is more, gambling ads would be prohibited during sports events broadcasts, including during commercial breaks. It is believed that the country’s gambling regulator – the Belgian Gaming Commission fully supports the effort.
