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ROMBET at WrB London: self-regulation, the key to the development of the industry


ROMBET completes the Romanian gambling industry international presence by participating in another elite event on our continent: WrB London - Responsible Gambling, CSR and The Bottom Line, an event organized by Clarion Events.

Mr.Dan Iliovici, vice president of ROMBET, was invited as a speaker in the panel "The Impact of Advertising Legislation on Responsible Gambling and Profits", along with other industry figures such as Hermann Pamminger, Head of CSR, European Affairs & Tourism Policy, Casinos Austria, William Chambers, Head of Compliance, Betway, Tristan Gijsenbergh, Public Affairs and Policy Officer, European Advertising Standards Alliance and Andrew Taylor, Regulatory Policy Executive, Advertising Standards Authority.

One of the main themes in the debate was linked to the current European-wide tendency to severely restrict gambling ads. Italy, for example, through Decreto Dignità, has decided to ban gambling advertisements totally. Spain announced last week that it plans to adopt a set of measures to this end, but not as drastic as in Italy, like a full ban. A similar political debate also exists in Belgium.

Speakers argued that banning advertisements is not the solution to ensure effective protection of minors and vulnerable categories of people. "To forbid does not mean to regulate. To ban is the easiest way to "negotiate" with a difficult package of advantages and disadvantages and is the recognition of the authorities' inability to keep the domain under control", Mr. Iliovici said.

"At international level, the gambling industry does not have a good public perception, and politicians also rely on this" argument "when they build populist platforms for electoral purposes. Industry must take serious steps in the direction of responsible marketing: during my mandate as president of the Romanian National Gambling Office, we have developed and debated an Ethical Code for Responsible Communication in Gambling. It was a strong signal - an invitation to self-regulation addressed to the industry, a signal that unfortunately remained without continuity, both on the part of industry and authority ", Mr. Iliovici said in the panel.

Participants in the discussion emphasized the idea that advertising is necessary in gambling, helping players move towards licensed operators, so the ban on advertising is not the solution, but effective regulation or self-regulation to protect minors and players in the risk area.

Susana Campuzano Fernández, Deputy Head of Unit for Institutional Relations and Management, Spanish Directorate General for Gambling Regulation, Carl Brincat, Deputy General Counsel, Malta Gaming Authority and Birgitte Sand, Director of the Danish Gambling Authority, declared unanimously that gambling organizers must make serious steps to better inform players about both games (how to play, award, awarding bonuses, etc.) and about how players can turn to self-limitation mechanisms on the amounts played, the time spent playing, and the ways of self-exclusion.

  •   25 octombrie
  •   Rombet

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