Denmark is gearing up for a first reading of its new gambling Bill, which introduces a number of gambling restrictions, including a whistle-to-whistle ban during live sporting events.
Introduced by Tax and Growth Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt, the legislation will be presented for first reading on 22 October 2026.
The texts envision stricter rules around gambling marketing, under which advertisements would not be able to portray gambling as entertainment, imply that it can change someone’s life, use anyone under the age of 25 in marketing materials, or appeal to anyone under 18.
Outdoor advertising will be prohibited on public transport, and will have to maintain a strict distance of 200 metres from educational institutions like schools and universities. All types of marketing will be prohibited from being shown 10 minutes before and after a live sports broadcast.
Sponsorships of sports clubs and physical venues, however, will remain permitted.
Operators will also be subjected to a legal duty of care, where they proactively monitor and intervene for problem gambling behaviour.
This also encompasses maintaining an internal record on its responsible gambling procedures, ensuring sufficient safer gambling education for staff and partners, and also periodically evaluating the effectiveness of its RG infrastructure in place.
In terms of financial penalties, the bill proposes a more systematic approach for both land-based and online operators. Physical venues will be looking at penalties of between DKK 60,000 for a first violation and DKK 80,000 for a second, with the third one likely to lead to a licence suspension.
Online operators might end up with bigger penalties though, where their GGR will be taken into account so that the penalty represents a proportion of that.
Third-parties promoting gambling are also looking at potential restrictions. Besides operators, influencers and affiliates will also need to abide by the advertising compliance restrictions.
On the unregulated gambling side, Engel-Schmidt’s Bill looks to grant gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden with expanded powers to block unlicensed intermediary websites targeting the Danish market.
The proposal sets 1 January 2027 as a target deadline for the Bill to enter into force.
