Recently, we reported on the request famous Spanish politician, Francisco Fernandez Marugan, made concerning an advertising ban and now we uncover how a Spanish trade group reacted to this appeal.
Discarding His Demand:
Unfortunately, Marugan’s efforts to prohibit ads weren’t received very well. Mikel Lopez de Torre, president of the JDigital trade group and a Sportium executive stated that the Spanish economist along with the public didn’t quite comprehend the country’s gambling and advertising laws and other crucial things concerning this subject.
Furthermore, he added that all those suggestions and proposals Fernandez gave have already come into force and are functioning very well. Lopez de Torre commented:
“We were very surprised by the note from the Ombudsman for a number of reasons. It shows he does not know how the gambling regulatory framework operates in Spain.”
“It also suggests he is unaware of the fact that problem gambling is already covered by the National Plan on Drugs' epidemic studies. This actually shows that problem gambling prevalence in Spain is among the lowest in the world at 0.3%”
“The Ombudsman literally asks for a reference to online gambling in the advertising decree – which specifically regulates online gambling advertising. He also demands a study on problem gambling prevalence, which, as mentioned, was published last year.”
More Reasons Not To Accept This Ban:
Although in some countries, such as Norway, people are also considering a ban on advertising it looks like de Torre doesn’t see this idea as something revolutionary and necessary.
Moreover, he analyzed this prohibition on commercial operators that excluded the lotteries run by Sociedad Estatal Loterias y Apuestas del Estado and the Spanish Organisation of the Blind and concluded that it would violate European Commission rules and the suggestions of the CNMC, Spain’s commerce regulator.
Ultimately, he expressed negative attitude towards this entire idea claiming that an ad ban is completely unnecessary due to the fact that the country is already working on incorporating useful tools to make gambling safer. He added:
“Bans create the perfect environment for illegal offshore gambling to bloom,” he said. “As an industry, we have always been in favour of any measures that help in our common objective of protecting vulnerable groups.
“The Spanish regulation is hands down one of the best and most effective in the world in protecting minors, and problem gamblers," he continued. “We work to make sure Spanish consumers can enjoy gambling in a safe, regulated, and productive manner, irrespective of whether the offering is provided by public, private, or semiprivate operators.”
Marugan will soon get a response from the government concerning his complaints, which he says were triggered by numerous appeals he received from members of public.
Source: “Spanish Trade Group Dismisses Calls For Advertising Ban” https://www.igamingbusiness.com/news/spanish-trade-group-dismisses-calls-advertising-ban. iGaming Business. May 22, 2019.
