A Look at the Danish Gambling Authority’s New Marketing Regulations

14.04.2020, 13:31

On March 26th, the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA) released a set of rules regarding the marketing of gambling products. These regulations are a follow-up to executive orders released on January 1st, 2020. The first set of orders defined behaviors that a licensee must not engage with when employing marketing strategies. This next wave of executive orders has created a list of information that licensees should include in their advertisements. The updated list went into effect on April 1st, 2020. 

Rules

In the original wave of regulations, the DGA determined the following: 

• All marketing must present the chance of winning in an accurate manner. Advertisers should not try to persuade their audiences that there is a higher probability of winning. 
• Marketing must take the attitude that gambling is a form of entertainment.
• Advertisements cannot target minors. 
• Licensees shall not hire celebrities to falsely attribute their successes to gambling.
• Marketing must not convey that gambling activities will solve consumers’ financial or social problems.

For the second wave of rules, the DGA determined that advertisements for all gambling products must include:

• The game’s age limit;
• The DGA’s helpline number for people who are struggling with responsible gambling;
• Option to register for self-exclusion.

Authority’s New Marketing Regulations

The DGA is anticipating that many license holders will have questions regarding these rules. It also acknowledged that there could potentially be cases where it is not possible to completely follow each of the regulations. Those cases will be meticulously assessed by the DGA, which will decide if the licensee has done a satisfactory job complying wherever applicable. 

Soon, the DGA is going to publish a guide that gives examples of advertisements that meet the regulations. So far, there is no release date scheduled for the guide. 

If a consumer notices that a gambling operator is not following the new advertising requirements, they may send a complaint to the DGA. Gambling marketing is supervised by the Consumer Ombudsman, who will review complaints in regards to media advertisements, website information, and communications during a purchase. 

Keep in mind, the option mentioned above is to be used when the advertisements are made by licensed operators. If a consumer sees an ad made by someone without a license, they may fill out the contact form on the DGA’s website’s main menu or give the Authority a phone call. The DGA’s website provides a list of every licensed gambling order so that consumers won’t accidentally file a false report. 

If a consumer wishes to pursue self-exclusion via ROFUS (the DGA’s register of self-excluded people), they may register using NemID, a secure Internet login service that is commonly used in Denmark. Users receive a user ID, main password, and a code card with one-time passwords. Not only does NemID provide internet security, but it also allows Danish citizens to have control over whether they are shown gambling ads.