Last updated: February 07, 2024
Coljuegos, Colombia’s gambling regulator, outlines strict regulations for gambling advertising, to be enforced from 2024, aiming for comprehensive oversight and control.
The resolution, which is slated to go into effect on January 1, 2024, would cement Coljuegos as the nation’s primary regulator of gaming advertising. Coljuegos would be in charge of monitoring all marketing, promotions, sponsorships, along any other form of commercial communication from authorised Colombian operators.
The resolution specifies branding, social media, and sponsorship guidelines among other things. New caps on advertising spending, rules for advertising content, and penalties for noncompliance are also included.
The resolution includes new guidelines for responsible gaming in addition to Coljuegos’ expanded advertising authority. It requires operators to set up procedures and systems designed to identify warning indications of gambling harm and to stop these users from communicating about gambling.
New guidelines regarding payments are also included. Operators will only be able to take deposits from customers using prepaid credit cards after the resolution is implemented.
As per the resolution, operators are prohibited from giving any misleading or false impressions that advertising promotions are free or don’t pose any risk. Also, operators can’t send marketing materials to people who have chosen to be self-excluded.
Businesses are not allowed to mislead customers about what the game is really about. It will be illegal to include testimonies from people who have made money from gambling.
Coljuegos also wants operators to limit the ages of people who can see its ads on search engines so that kids don’t see too many of them.
The rules also say that ads can’t be put up in places where teens or young adults might be, like health centres and classrooms. Only operators who are licensed by Coljuegos will be able to make deals with Colombian sports teams to sponsor them.
Operators will only be able to spend up to 20% of their project’s gross gambling revenue (GGR) on marketing or advertising under the new rules.
Coljuegos will also make it so that operators can’t spend more than COP9.28bn (£1.80m, $2.20m, €2.07m) in the first year.
To make sure that these rules are followed, businesses must give Coljuegos an annual advertising investment plan that doesn’t go over the limits. To make sure everyone is following the rules, the regulator can also ask for marketing and advertising costs every three months.
The resolution is the most recent plan for how Coljuegos would control advertising for gambling in Colombia. The regulator backed the first bill, which was sent to Congress on September 29 and is now making its way through the chambers.
If the bill passes, it will give the body a lot of new powers to control ads, payments, and responsible gambling. It will be the main authority in charge of sports betting and gaming ads.
Marilyn Chavez is an associate researcher at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where she studied the mathematical probabilities and aspects of casino games like slot machines. She’s written several case studies which have been published by multiple problem-gaming institutions to help spread awareness about the dangers of online gambling and gambling addiction. She also presented a 2019 Ted talk on the topic of gambling among minors.
