Italy gives red card to gambling adverts

ITALY has become the first country in Europe to ban gambling ads – and it is now pushing for an EU-wide restrictions.

TV, radio and internet promotions will be halted in Italy from January 2019 despite opposition from betting companies. Football clubs and other sports teams will also be barred from having gambling sponsors.

Deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio introduced the clampdown as part of his ‘Dignity Decree’ aimed at curbing a dramatic rise in problem gambling in the country, while a bill in Ireland promises tight restrictions on the industry.

Mr Di Maio, whose Five-Star Movement is the largest party in Italy’s coalition government, has said he would push for gambling advertising restrictions across the EU because of concerns about what the harmful addiction is doing to families.

‘I think this is an industry that has become a bit too big, at the expense of people’s health and dignity. We are going to cut it down in size,’ he said.

He also criticised figures such as former Italian footballing star Francesco Totti for appearing in betting adverts.

Breaking the ban will carry a minimum fine of €50,000, which will go towards a fund to treat problem gamblers. The only exemption will be Italy’s staterun national lottery. Companies with existing advertising agreements have been given more time to comply with the policy.

Official figures for last year show around 400,000 Italians had a gambling problem – a four-fold increase in a decade.

The ban was greeted with dismay by soccer clubs in Serie A, the top Italian league, more than half of which have sponsorship deals with bookmakers.

In Ireland, the Gambling Control Bill 2018, as proposed by Fianna Fáil in February, is currently in the second stage of the Oireachtas. It will place strict restrictions on gambling ads.

If the Bill is passed, all gambling advertisements would include a message to encourage responsible gambling and direct people to further information if they feel they have a problem.

If the Bill becomes law, gambling advertisements must never feature children, must not feature endorsements by recognisable figures who would be regarded as idols for young people, and ads should not suggest that gambling is a rite of passage for young people.

Minimum fine of €50,000