Italy presses ahead with gambling advertising ban
Operators in violation of the proposed ban on gambling advertising could face fines of up to 500,000
Italy-facing operators could face fines of up to 500,000 if they violate the country’s proposed ban on gambling-related advertising as the bill continues to make progress through the Italian parliament.
The ‘Introduzione del divieto di pubblicità per i giochi con vincite in denaro’ (Introduction of the ban on advertising for games with cash prizes) states those in violation of the law will be subject to fines of between 50,000 (£36,665) and 500,000 (£366,648).
According to the bill, the fines would be imposed on all parties involved in the release of any advert deemed to have broken the law including the gambling operator, any third-party responsible for carrying it out and the platform provider hosting the campaign.
Both land-based and online operators will be prohibited from direct and indirect advertising via all communication channels, while the ban will also be extended to sponsorship and other promotional activities.
“It is quite evident that pockets of lawlessness that we now discover in the market of online gambling would be sharply reduced by prohibiting advertising,” a report accompanying the bill said.
Provisions for the ban on gambling-focused advertising has to reach the committee stage but is set to be debated in Parliament over the coming weeks.
However, it is thought that any efforts to ban gambling advertising is unlikely to be successful, with DLA Piper gaming lawyer and partner Giulio Coraggio expecting both the gaming and advertising industry to lobby against such a move with legal action also a likely consequence.