Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Online Gambling Association (DOGA), announced that casino game providers, operating on the territory of Denmark, have agreed on amendments to be made to the Danish Gambling Act. As a result, all licensed casino operators will have to adhere to a new Code of Conduct. The latter will come into force on July 1, 2019. It will be reviewed on an annual basis and it will contain as many as 21 rules, covering responsible gambling, problem gambling harms, consumer protection, gambling advertising, sponsorships, etc. The Code of Conduct is intended to be a standard guideline casino operators have to follow in order to provide their services to Danish players.
Authorities, involved in the creation of the new rules were DOGA with the partnership of Dansk Automat Brancheforening, Aarhus-based Royal Casino, Danske Lotteri Spil, Klasselotteriet, Landbrugslotteriet and Varelotteriet. The new Conduct Code is the logical result of the “Agreement on New Initiatives Against Compulsive Gambling and Adjustments to the Gambling Agreement” from June 2018 when the Danish government agreed to take measures and ensure the protection of Danish online casino players.
The new Code of Conduct states that gambling-related issues are much more serious in the UK, Finland, and Norway. Yet, as of July 1st, Danish casino operators will have to comply with the following rules:
- Limited casino adverts on commercial stations; banned gambling adverts around children’s programming; no gambling ads shown in the same slot as payday loans
- Ads must not communicate that gambling solves personal, professional or financial problems or makes a person socially accepted and sexually attractive
- Casino operators must use marketing tools to make sure the ads do not reach minors
- The ads must not suggest that gambling is an inseparable part of life; ads must not utilise any social beliefs such as playing casino games contributes to one’s success
- All ads must have a responsible gambling message displayed. It must contain an age restriction warning as well as a notification that players should know their limits
- The ads must not mislead players that their chances of winning are actually higher than they actually are
- Gambling logos must not appear on merchandise for kids, even if a casino operator is in a partnership with a merchandise supplier
- All casino websites must contain information about responsible gambling and underage gambling
- Pop-up windows will inform players for how long they have been staying on the casino site. Players can either click on the “Stop playing” button or continue playing
- A complaints body is to be set up and held responsible for upholding the regulations
The code publication comes mere weeks after the consultation launched by Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) on the measures the country can take to boost customers’ protection and minimise the consequences of the compulsive gambling disorder.
Back in February, 2019 the Dutch Senate passed the Remote Gaming Act giving international operators the right to obtain a license from 2020 onwards. The regulations explicitly state that casino operators must have a “duty of care” to customers, but at the end of the day, it was KSA that decided what exactly the “duty of care” term involves.
