Spain: Government wants to cut gambling advertising on TV and radio by 80%

Alberto Garzon, Spanish Minister of Consumer Affairs, has presented the draft Royal Decree against the advertising of gambling companies in Spain on 21/02/2020. This law is expected to be proposed to the Cortes Generales (Spanish Parliament) during 2020.

"The government wants to reduce television advertising for gambling by 80% and prohibit companies from hiring public figures and celebrities to market gambling products and services," according to Spanish media on 21/02/2020. The Spanish government has reported that online betting in Spain nearly tripled between 2014 and 2018 to reach €17.8bn.

The project would allow the broadcast of sports betting adverts (TV and radio) at night, between 01:00 and 05:00 CET in the morning or between 20.00 and 05.00 in the morning in the case of a sporting event. In other words, clubs and organisers of sporting events would not be allowed to display betting brands in stadiums or on shirt during matches that start before 20:00. Digital channels such as YouTube do not seem to be affected by these proposals.

The text also stipulates that betting…