Spain accelerates ad restrictions to coincide with Covid-19 lockdown
Gambling operators face limited advertising window as all bonus ads are prohibited until 12 April
Spain’s operators will only be allowed to advertise gambling products between 1am and 5am under new Covid-19-themed rules announced by the country’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
The new rules apply to TV, radio and online video sites, including YouTube.
Under the new restrictions, all advertising will be limited to the late-night window until 12 April, when the Spanish government expects to end existing public lockdown measures.
Bonus and promotional offers by operators is also prohibited, together with a blanket ban on direct marketing to players via email.
The new measures come after the Spanish government was notified by several gambling-related harm treatment providers of an increase in potential problem gambling calls as result of the lockdown.
Spain’s government previously proposed the measures as part of a focus on the public health effects of gambling-related harm on Spanish players.
Para superar pronto la crisis del #COVID19 es esencial que nos quedemos en casa 🏠
Por motivos de salud, el Gobierno protegerá a la ciudadanía más vulnerable de la sobreexposición a la publicidad de apuestas.#AmpliarEscudoSocial #EsteVirusLoParamosUnidos
— Secretaría General de Consumo y Juego (@consumogob) March 31, 2020
Under the prior proposals, all gambling advertising during live sport would also be restricted to a window of 8pm to 5am. The proposals had been expected to pass through Spanish parliament in the summer.
A window for advertising during live sport has not been introduced as part of the new restrictions due to the absence of live sport, which has all been cancelled or postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, Spanish gaming analyst Eduardo Morales Hermo said the new measures will not adversely affect Spanish-facing operators as those players who want to gamble will still be able to access these sites online. The challenge, he claims, will be to drive those players to sites during the window.
Morales Hermo claimed the restrictions are a response by the government to pressure being exerted by the Spanish media.
“The Spanish government is acting to some degree like a headless chicken, improvising restrictions where there is no evidence that they actually work,” Morales Hermo said.
Qualifying this assertion, Morales Hermo points to the advertising ban introduced in Italy, where operator gross gambling revenue has increased by 8% in the first year following the ban.
“What hurts the operators most is the lack of sporting events in the Spanish market and the revenue opportunities they represent, that is the real problem facing the industry.
“Media firms will also experience the negative impacts of this ban, compounding the existing drop in marketing spend following the reduction in sporting events,” Morales Hermo added.