The global gambling industry is one of the largest aspects of a successful economy. Countries, where gambling is a legal kind of entertainment, are popular in the tourism sector. Below you can find the countries, where gambling is legal to advertise and where it’s more profitable to start a gambling business. Check the hottest gambling news for more.
According to scientific research, the first time, when people reached out how to gamble, was in the 9th century AD in China. Later in the 14th century, gambling became popular in Japan. The very first casino took a place in Venice, Italy in 1638.
The most active gambling county in Europe is the UK, where horse racing is the favorite public entertainment for years. But it’s also regulated with strict gambling restrictions and requirements.
If we’re talking about the US, cards games took a special place in the hearts of the Americans. For almost 3 centuries the US government was trying to destroy the gambling market by legislation. At the start of 20 century, all gambling products were set as illegal entertainment. People couldn’t participate in gambling or visit any gambling establishments. It also caused an increase in the criminal level in the country.
There were many cases of the failed attempts to ban gambling. According to the long-life history, it’s better to regulate and control what cannot be excluded.
How is gambling regulated in Europe?
The specific of the gambling sector in Europe is the fact that each country has its own laws and restrictions for the market. But there’s no legislation authority, which would regulate the whole gambling market.
All the European countries set their own gambling laws based on the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
More and more counties of the EU launch the legislation system, which will let operators offer their products online and offline.
The modernization of gambling into an online version is supported by the European Commission. The gamblers’ protection on the Internet is also one of the main goals of the Commission.
Where is gambling illegal in Europe?
There’re no strong differences between gambling countries in the EU. However, if some locations are more adapted to online gambling, other countries’ governments support land-based operators more. There can be a difference in the legal gambling age issue. Somewhere people can play from 18, but in other places, websites or casinos are opened for people older than 21.
Is gambling legal in other countries?
A major number of the counties are opened to gambling activity, but there’re several counties, where gambling isn’t available as entertainment.
Here’s the list of some countries where gambling is illegal:
- Singapore;
- United Arab Emirates;
- Cambodia;
- Qatar;
- Lebanon;
- North Korea.
Who regulates the gambling industry in the UK?
The most popular type of gambling in the UK is horse racing. This conservative tradition was keeping the attention of the public for 3 centuries. But it has been always regulated. The main gambling authority is the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, under which control is online and land-based gambling establishments, except sports betting.
The foundation for the launching of the UKGC was the Gambling Licensing and Advertising Act in 2005. But later in 2014, the Commission got reformed by the Gambling Licensing and Advertising Bill. It was a big step for the UK gambling market because not all the operators accepted the increase of tax by 15%. The Kingdom is still one of the most successful and profitable markets in the world, that’s why even these serious changes couldn’t destroy it.
The UKGC can license, deactivate and fully regulate the operators and providers in the country.
Is online gambling illegal in the UK?
Online gambling is legal for UK citizens older than 18. All the casino sites can be available to the users after the age verification. It helps to protect minors from gambling addiction, which is a serious issue in an unregulated environment.
Other measures that have been used for years are restrictions on gambling ads. The time, place, and frequency of advertising can affect minors and impressionable people. That’s why there’re laws on advertising gambling products.
Advertising laws in the UK
According to the Gambling Act (2005), the British operators must have licenses by the Commission to advertise the products. But there’re still rules for following that are based on the Commission’s License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) and obligatory Advertising Codes.
The Advertising Codes exist for:
- the absence of encouraging the gambling behavior that can lead to harm in anyways;
- minors and vulnerable people can feel safe without any risk for the mental health and finances;
- gambling won’t look like a solution for the financial problems.
Restrictions for gambling adverts in the UK
One of the loudest restrictions that almost led to the betting advert ban was announced in 2020. TV betting ads were not shown during breaks from five minutes before a live sporting event begins until five minutes after it ends before 9 p.m. so children couldn’t see it. The founder of this rule was the Betting and Gaming Council. Later, it was decided that children under 18 couldn’t see the gambling ads on the Internet as well.
Moreover, more than 20% of betting ads on TV and radio must inform about safer gambling games than bets.
Laws of advertising for the UK consumers and business
There are several prohibitions for two categories of the advertisement.
| Advertising to consumers | Advertising to business |
| misleading or lying; | using another company’s logo or trademark; |
| excluding the important information; | comparing the products of different companies with underlying the advantages of one of them. |
| using aggressive sales methods. |
Other rules, restrictions, and recommendations are on the official government’s website in the advertisement sector.
Where is gambling illegal and why?
Despite the fact that gambling can significantly increase the economy of any country, and it has already been proven thanks to the long-term experience. There’re still some countries where people are not able to entertain themselves safely.
One of the most widespread reasons for it is religion. In strong religious countries, gambling isn’t allowed by the legislation sector because it’s rated as a sin. However, there’s no religion where gambling was directly called a sin. Apparently, the basic fact in the fight against gambling is amoral behavior.
But nowadays, more and more people, who have faced the results of the gambling ban, see that the governments of the countries where gambling is illegal make it even worse.
The ban doesn’t make people refuse from gambling at all. Such total restrictions make people use illegal operators and be in dangerous online or offline spaces. Their money, personal information, and health care are at the risk.
The gambling experts from all over the world call on the right regulation and control of the gambling industry, so the gamblers and the operators can be profitable for themselves and the country.
The laws, which say that gambling is illegal, don’t decrease the problem gambling level. Such a complicated sector must be fully regulated and controlled so all of the sides will be protected.
Gambling in the media
The important thing for the guaranteed protected gambling is the strict restrictions for the gambling products promoting. In the era of media having such a big influence on society, the way of selling any products must be safe.
It’s obvious that the legislating of gambling makes the government and operators have more responsibilities. Each gambling country has not just laws for using and providing games, but also laws for advertising.
Often media showcase gambling as a financial solution for problems and a carefree way to earn money. The possible unhealthy influence on the users is usually hidden from the viewers. Gambling ads are often one of the main reasons for problematic mental health and financial difficulties. The laws about advertising limit the advertisers and make them be within the boundaries.
For instance, gambling adverts in Australia aren’t allowed to be shown during TV programs classified G or out of timing from 6 to 8:30 a.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m. The shows and programs, which is targeted at children, are also not available for gambling ads showcase between 5 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
It’s important in the process of launching the gambling advertising laws to communicate with both operators and users, so the requirements would be comfortable for all the groups.
Like the French gambling regulator (ANJ) did, there was a survey for the people about the gambling adverts on TV during Euro 2020. A major part of the responders said that they were uncomfortable about a large number of gambling ads. And the next responded groups will be gambling companies, the healthcare sphere, businessmen, and others. From September to October 2021, the respondents can share their thoughts on gambling ads and their influence on people in the country.
Does the gambling advertising ban make the market better?
Belgium is one of the strictest gambling counties, where the restrictions and the requirements are strict for online and offline operators.
At the end of 2022, the Belgian Gaming Commission announced a new direction to the more responsible gambling in the country. The authority set a partial ban on gambling ads. The new rules say that the ads must not attract attention to sports betting. It has also been announced that the government wants to ban bets on some stages of football matches.
Some of the regulators decided to control all the gambling ads, but not to ban them at all. The Gambling Advertising Board of Denmark criticized the provider, which broke the rules and promoted it during the family Christmas show on TV. The main marketing rules for the ads in Denmark are based on the Gambling law and gaming industry code of conduct.
The Netherlands gambling authority (KSA) decided to cooperate with the media authority to work on the gambling ads together. It’s another way of creating comfortable restrictions not only for the gamblers and the government but for the operators as well.
According to the known cases, a full ban on gambling ads doesn’t make the market better for any of the groups. But the right regulation and control make gambling in the country more responsible and protected.
Are gambling adverts banned on social media?
Nowadays, social media takes one of the major parts of business development and gambling hasn’t become an exception. Casinos, lotteries companies, different operators, and providers promote their services and products on different platforms. It can make their target audience much bigger, older or younger. The result depends only on the way of promoting.
What do the platforms’ ads policies say to the online gambling ads?
The Facebook ads policy allows the advertisement of gambling with the spending finances but after the prior written permission. It concerns both cash and cryptocurrencies.
The games where acquisitions are obligatory to continue playing and games with money prizes are also in this policy case.
The policy also includes all types of gambling:
- betting;
- lotteries;
- raffles;
- casino;
- fantasy sports;
- bingo;
- poker;
- online skill-based tournaments;
- sweepstakes.
The content of any type of gambling advertising is not allowed on this platform, but with an exception of the companies, which target the exact countries where gambling is legal.
However, there’re several gambling-related things that can be promoted on Twitter:
- casino-hotel, where the casino isn’t the main thing;
- gambling accessories (poker chips or pachinko machines);
- news about fantasy sports.
TikTok
TikTok advertising policies say that gambling is not allowed to be promoted. The leading video platform bans online gambling, websites of all types of gambling, games, any tools, and apps, which are related to gambling.
Read more: TikTok Gambling ads
The ads policy of Google supports the gambling ads, but with the following of the gambling laws in the targeted country.
Allowed types of gambling ads:
- offline gambling;
- online gambling;
- inline non-casino games;
- social casino games.
According to the major part of cases, a total ban on gambling advertising isn’t the popular way to protect users in social media. Most of the platforms set a partial ban on gambling advertising or request special compliance from the advertisers.
The most common requirements
The European countries differ from each other in their history, legislation sector, government politics, and the mentality of the public. That’s why it’s impossible to see the same gambling law in different countries.
Some of the authorities choose to apply methods of strict regulation with high taxes and restricted ability to promote and share the products. After all, advertising is the key to a successful business with a profit. On the one hand, operators are trying to fight for the right to showcase gambling ads without any strict restrictions of the time and platforms. On the other hand, the government, which is trying to protect citizens and to prevent the increase of the gambling addiction level.
The most frequent requirements:
- not to apply to the minors or in mass media;
The main social group, which is under government protection, is people under 18. The minors can be affected by gambling the most. To prevent the gambling addiction spread among youth, the authorities pay more attention to the adverts.
- content for children cannot contain advertisements of the offered games;
Gambling addicts under 18 can leave not such a good sign on the economy. If people of the future generation only spend money on the games and don’t have any jobs because of their addiction, it can lead to an economic decline. The leading gambling countries support the gambling industry as an important aspect of the economy. The operators earn money not only for themselves but for the government via taxes and commissions.
If a partial ban on advertising is set, generally it means that the government is trying to launch laws for the gambling ads, which will be comfortable for all the groups.
Gamblers will always find how to entertain themselves – via online gambling or to visit any gambling establishment, and it will be better in a legal way than conversely.
Read more: Top Gambling Affiliate Programs
