The European Commission has been formally informed by Denmark’s gambling regulator, Spillemyndigheden, of proposed new powers and advertising restrictions pertaining to gambling marketing nationwide.
The EU’s Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) was used to submit the draft rules on January 13. This initiated a standstill period that allows the Commission and other Member States to evaluate the measures prior to their adoption.
Draft technical regulations must be reported to Brussels by national authorities in accordance with EU law to make sure there are no conflicts with competition law, internal market regulations, or broader EU standards.
With a response deadline of April 14th in Denmark’s case, the TRIS procedure enables the Commission to assess whether the reforms are reasonable and compliant with EU law.
Planned Restrictions from 2027
The Folketinget, the Danish parliament, has not yet given its final approval to the proposed amendments to the new Marketing and Advertising Law.
The package, which aims to go into full effect on January 1st, 2027, intends to drastically reduce the amount of gambling advertising and strengthen safeguards for younger audiences, such as restricting advertisements to adults 25 years of age and older.
A crucial component is a ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban that would prohibit all forms of gambling advertising from 10 minutes prior to a live sporting event until 10 minutes following it.
Additionally, the draft would forbid the use of celebrities, athletes, and influencers in gambling advertisements across all media, as well as marketing that portrays gambling as a lifestyle option.
Land-based gambling faces certain limitations. For instance, advertising for these activities is not allowed on public transport or in areas connected to it. Furthermore, such advertisements are also banned within a 200-meter radius of schools and other educational institutions for young people.
The proposed legislation would also clarify the rules surrounding penalties. It would establish more specific guidelines for imposing fines and explicitly affirm the regulator’s power to issue administrative orders when rules are broken.
Parliament’s decision to reject a blanket ban on gambling advertising and sports sponsorships means those avenues are off the table for now. Denmark is therefore focusing on more specific restrictions.
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