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A new law proposal for the introduction of a total gaming advertising ban has been submitted to the Parliament, but it is no way close to be adopted.
What you might have missed recently…
I had discussed no more than a couple of months ago about a law proposal aimed at introducing a gaming advertising ban in Italy. At that time I had raised my concerns as to the compliance of such proposal with constitutional principles and the potential claims from gaming license holder that might have been triggered by its potential approval.
Gaming advertising ban proposal, again?
And the attempt to get some popularity by the Parliament led to a new law proposal that prohibits “any type of direct or indirect advertising initiative, any commercial communication, any sponsorship or promotion of gaming trademarks or products with cash winnings offered both through retail channels and online“. And such conducts would be punished with fines between EUR 50,000 and 500,000, but the review by the Parliament of such proposal has not even initiated. Therefore, I don’t think it is time for concerns…
And the current scenario
This is true also considering that Italian members of the Parliament forget that Italy has already adopted both gambling advertising laws and an self-regulatory advertising code which has a section dedicated to gambling advertising. These provisions do not prohibit gambling advertising, but actually regulate it (as it happens in countries like the UK) through provisions that define the limits in which gambling advertising can be performed and provide sanctions up to EUR 100,000.
We shall follow the matter, but my impression is that Italian MPs and the Government are currently quite “confused” on the topic.
