Ban casino gambling advertisements, role models, sports sponsorship.

A ban on gambling advertising is a fact. After the role models disappeared earlier, the online casino advertisements on tv, radio, bus shelters, advertising columns, sports fields and football stadiums also disappear. With the advertising ban of online casinos, the government wants to counteract gambling addiction. What exactly does the advertising ban on gambling advertisements entail?

In this article, we will discuss the various decisions that have been taken in the field of banning advertising for online gambling.

Prohibition of unfocused advertising online gambling

The ban applies to non-targeted advertising for online gambling. The non-targeted advertising by gambling companies will be banned as early as 2023 and from 2025 sponsorship, such as on sports shirts, will no longer be allowed.

unfocused advertising: advertising where people not active for example, by searching gambling sites through a search engine.

The bill on the Prohibition of unfocused advertising for online gambling is introduced in several stages.

Prohibition of undirected gambling advertising

The ban on gambling advertising will start as early as January 1, 2023. The gambling companies will not be happy with this. In 2022, $ 450 million will be generated in the online casino market expect. The amount of future conversions may be lower due to the advertising ban.

From 2023, online gambling commercials should not be broadcast by it on tv and radio. Billboards and posters in Abris are also banned from that moment.

According to Minister Franc Weerwind (legal protection), this decision is urgently needed. ,"Gambling addiction is a big problem,’ he says.

Gambling advertising on tv no longer allowed from January 1, 2023

Ban sponsorship events

From 2024, sponsorship of programs and events will no longer be allowed. Online casino and sports betting website Jack's is an example of a betting company that makes extensive use of event sponsorship.

An example of this is the sponsorship of the largest free music festival Jack's Festival of the song of life that takes place in Tilburg. Jack's sports sponsorship of kickboxing gala GLORY will also be curtailed.

ban shirtsponsoring betting sites from January 1, 2025

Ban sports sponsorship

From 2025, betting sites will no longer be allowed to be on the shirts of sports clubs. This is not good news for football clubs. Almost all clubs in football are paid Sponsored by gambling sites . Thus receiving Ajax 12 million dollars from online casino and bookmaker Unibet.

The online casinos want to increase their brand awareness through shirt sponsorship and visibility on billboards along the field. Earlier we saw that there large amounts of gambling advertising be spent.

For example, betting site and bookmaker Betcity is a sponsor of a fair number of football clubs such as FC Volendam , Hotel Sittard and Vitesse .

The fact that the ban on sports sponsorship of gambling companies will only take effect in 2025 is because the cabinet considers it reasonable that the clubs are given time to absorb the financial loss. Many sports clubs are quite dependent on the income they bring in from gambling companies.

However, the government believes that the financial interests do not outweigh the disadvantages of gambling addiction. Minister Weerwind said: "children and vulnerable New Zealanders also watch these games. We give sports clubs two years to look for other income.”

Where are gambling ads still allowed?

Under certain conditions, the gaming companies may still advertise on the internet or via direct mailings. If you as a consumer search in a targeted manner via, for example, the search engine Google for a search term such as ‘legal online casino', then the consumer may be informed about the topic.

The casinos are therefore still allowed to advertise via the internet and direct mailing. How and in what way still needs to be worked out.

Increasingly strict rules on gambling advertising

Since October 1, you can gamble online at this legal casinos in New Zealand. Since then, the number of casino commercials on television has exploded. Both politically and socially, there is a fuss about gambling advertisements on tv.

As of april 1, 2022, the time when gambling advertisements will be broadcast on television from 21:00 to 22:00 was postponed by one hour.

As of June 30, 2022, gambling companies are prohibited from using role models in advertising such as gambling advertising on tv, the internet, Abris and advertisements in print.

Government in spagaat

The government is in a split: on the one hand, it wants to legalize the gambling market, whereby it is necessary to advertise to keep gamblers away from the illegal offer, while on the other hand, making that advertising would lead to gambling addiction.

"Advertising is a means to lead people to the legal offer, but the importance of addiction prevention outweighs. With this I want to protect vulnerable groups such as young people in particular,” says Weerwind.

Now, therefore, a large number of measures are added, drastically limiting the advertising of online gambling. In this article we will discuss these measures.

Sports marketing Chris Woerts calls the measures symbolic politics.

Consumer protection gambling addiction

Based on the Remote Gambling Act, online gambling has been legal since October 1, 2021. The idea is that through the legal offer the consumer is better protected and that gambling addiction, fraud and money laundering are prevented as much as possible.

Crucially, players who gamble illegally are guided to gamble legally. This is only possible if the legal casino offer is easy to find and attractive. And that requires advertising. This is contrary to the feeling that advertising causes more people to gamble and, in fact, more gambling addicts to join.

Therefore, measures are being taken to better protect vulnerable groups from the risks of gambling. For example, a ban on role models in gambling advertisements was previously introduced.

Ban gambling advertisements role models

From June, the use of role models in gambling advertisements was banned. This was reported by the state couzodiac on May 2, 2022. The publication shows that the ban applies not only to advertising on television. The ban also applies to advertisements on the radio, online, magazines and kzodiacs, and advertising posters in bus shelters.

All advertisements for risky games of chance with role models in them had to be ended by June 30, 2022.

We all know the commercials of Betcity with Andy van Der meijde and the commercials of Toto with Wesley Sneijder and Dick Advocaat. Such role models would have a (great) influence on young people in particular to gamble.

Betcity also had Wesley Sneijder , Wim Kieft and Sjaak Swart attracted as role models to promote the brand.

Jack's Casino & Sports also use role models such as Jack Van Gelder, Rafael van der Vaart, and Robert Doornbos.

Definition of role model in gambling advertising

The definition of role model is now defined. The holder of a licence may not use individual professional athletes, a team consisting of professional athletes and other role models for recruitment and advertising purposes.

Role models are persons who enjoy public fame and persons with whom other persons wish to identify or associate themselves.

These are persons who derive their fame from activities in the present or the past. These examples are mentioned:

• professional athlete, sports coach or any other person with a publicly visible role within professional sports;
• actNZD, regissNZD, presenter, singer or any other person with a publicly visible role within the television, film, theater, music or other entertainment industry
• model, fashion designer or any other person with a publicly visible role within the beauty or fashion industry;
• autNZD, journalist, columnist, influencer, vlogger, blogger or any other person with a publicly visible role due to the use of print, audiovisual, auditory, online or other media;
• representative of a political party or other person with a publicly visible role within national, regional or local politics;
• frequent participant in games of chance or any other person with a publicly visible role in the field of gambling;
• persons who visibly fulfill or portray an office or profession that assumes a social exemplary function.

Toto main supplier of role models

We have the role models of the online casinos and bookmakers which have been reviewed in recent years in gambling advertisements on television (see picture above). We see Kim Feenstra, Jack Van Gelder, Nathan Rutjes, Sjaak Swart, rapper Donnie, Andy van Der meijde, Wesley Sneijder, Royston Drenthe, Mental Theo and Ellie Lust.

It was the Toto and the State Lottery that deployed the most role models in gambling advertisements.

Too many commercials on tv

Since the opening of the gambling market, the casino providers have been diving over each other in the advertising blocks. Politics now wants to put a stop to this. The House of Representatives is now demanding a ban on gambling advertisements. It could promote gambling addiction and cause financial problems.

Is this not selective outrage? In the past, New Zealand was also killed with the many advertisements of the TOTO, Royal Vegas Casino, State Lottery and Postcode Lottery. You didn't hear anyone complain about gambling ads on tv.

Okay, the number of gambling advertisements on tv has increased, but perhaps the gambling organizations that are owned by the government (TOTO, Royal Vegas Casino) should reduce their advertising activities. Take a look at the figures below and judge for yourself.

What stands out about the numbers? The TOTO spent the most money of all gambling providers on marketing in the fourth quarter of 2021. According to research firm Nielsen, TOTO spent $10 million. That's a quarter of what the entire market spends!

Just behind it is Royal Vegas Casino with a total of $ 8.5 million.

New casino providers take the brunt

That the new casino providers wanted to advertise is logical. They have yet to build a brand. But a brand like the Toto has had a monopoly on gambling for years. And it is precisely the Toto and to a lesser extent Royal Vegas Casino that ruin it for the others.

They broadcast so many commercials that the new casinos now bear the brunt of the ban.

If the TOTO and the Staatsloterij had stopped their advertising, it would have cut half and the call for a total advertising ban might not have been so strong. And the TOTO and State Lottery had a monopoly for many years and had enough opportunities and exposure to promote their brand.

Below we will go further into the current gambling advertising rules. These will therefore be tightened in the near future.

Call a warning phrase

Due to the risks that participation in gambling entails, the Gambling Act stipulates that license holders must place a warning text on recruitment and advertising activities.

The new warning phrase What does gambling cost you? Stop on time. 18+ providers of games of chance must communicate in their (marketing)statements by april 1, 2022 at the latest.

Strict rules for online gambling advertising

It took decades for online gambling to become legal in New Zealand. After years of opposition, tug-of-war, lobby, online gambling has been legal in New Zealand since October 1, 2021.

There are a lot of parties that have agreed on the rules of advertising online gambling in various agreements. We list the various agreements and rules that came into force at the beginning of the legalization of the gambling market.

Rules for all games of chance

• Advertisements and bonuses should not be aimed at:
  • young people up to 18 years;
  • people with mental health problems;
  • people with gambling problems;
  • people with intellectual disabilities.
• Well-known New Zealanders (BN'ers) who are under 25 years of age or who are popular among young people should not advertise gambling.
• Professional athletes such as professional footballers should not advertise games of chance.

Rules for risky gambling

• Advertisements do not target young people up to 24 years of age.
• Do not offer bonuses while playing.
• Providers must intervene with players who are at risk of becoming addicted. They need to establish how they are going to address their addiction prevention policies.
• Providers must keep track of which players gamble frequently. If someone plays too much or too often or the player spends too much money, the player must be alerted.

Remote gambling law

As of October 1, The Remote Gambling Act applies. This law states, among other things, that providers of high-risk games (such as casino games, sports betting and poker) are obliged to carry out a risk analysis on the game offer.

This means that the higher the risk of the game of Chance, the less appropriate it is to promote the game.

No gambling advertising during competition

Furthermore, the law states that no advertising may be made during a sports match to bet on the relevant sports match.

Prohibition of role models that appeal to youth

The provider may not use well - known athletes in recruitment and advertising activities for online gambling. The reason for this is that minors and young adults are susceptible to expressions of these BNS.

Role models other than athletes who have a substantial reach among minors and young adults or are under 25 years of age may not be used.

Online casinos should also alert consumers to the risk of gambling addiction. Gambling advertisements should mention the minimum age and the risks of excessive participation in gambling.

For this purpose, the new disclaimer ’ what does gambling cost you? stop in time, 18+' clearly visible to be used in advertising.

Casino Play limits

Also the Play limits and deposit limits are under attack. You can now specify how long you can gamble online and how much money you can deposit daily. At many online casinos you can ‘just' fill in 24 hours and sometimes fill in tens of thousands of dollars as the maximum amount to deposit. There is no gambling addict benefit!

Also read our article on the most frequently asked questions about online casinos .