Portuguese parliament discusses gambling ad clampdown

Portugal is considering introducing stricter regulations on gambling advertising to follow in the footsteps of European markets including Italy, Sweden and Spain.

The Assembly of the Portuguese Republic have debated on four bills recommending a ban on the advertising of gambling between the hours of 07:00 and 22:30.

“We propose that it is only possible to advertise this type of game after 22:30 and until 07:00, and it’s proposed that, similar to what happens with tobacco packages, the bulletins of these games also have a warning as to the fact that they are liable to create dependency,” Portuguese politician Cristina Rodrigues was quoted as saying in the Portuguese parliament.

The proposal follows a similar regulatory trend in neighbouring European countries.

In the Netherlands last month, for example, the Dutch Media Commission and the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) joined forces to closely supervise the marketing of online gambling, which cannot be broadcast between 6am and 9pm.

Elsewhere, the Swedish government has suggested similar curbs to bring gambling advertising in line with tobacco and alcohol marketing while France has launched a nationwide public consultation on operator advertising practices due to the prevalence of betting ads during Euro 2020.