Kirolbet launches new responsibility campaign amid autonomous restrictions

Basque Country bookmaker Kirolbet has launched the ‘second phase’ of its responsible gambling campaign utilising its regional sports partnerships to raise awareness of ‘gambling risks and compulsive behaviours’.

Issuing a market update, Kirolbet leadership has launched new responsibility specific campaign ‘Haz Caso a los Capitanes’ – ‘Pay Attention to your Captain’ across its retail and digital properties.

The Basque Country campaign forms part of KirolBet’s 2019 corporate directive ‘Por un juego etico y responsable’ – delivering ‘ethical and responsible play’.

Kirolbet debuts its new campaign, as last week Spanish regulator DGOJ announced its new ‘three-year strategy’, raising all-around licensee standards on responsible gambling practices and improving player safety frameworks.

Yet industry advertising remains a contentious issue across Spain’s autonomous regions, with a new PSOE-led coalition government committed to delivering an overhaul of Spain’s advertising/marketing code focusing on regulating gambling advertising practices.

Despite PSOE’s guarantees, Spain’s regional governments have moved to enforce new advertising restrictions across autonomous community properties.

In May, the executives of Madrid and the Basque Country confirmed that regional broadcasters TeleMadrid and EITB would terminate all forms of betting advertising.

Further developments saw Galicia’s regional government confirm this June that it would terminate all betting-related sponsorships/partnerships with Galician sports clubs.

Galicia’s executive actions would be criticised by EGASA President Jose Gonzalez Fuentes, whose ‘Luckia’ sports betting brand serves as a principal partner of La Liga football clubs – Deportivo la Coruna and Celta Vigo.

Leading EGASA, one of Galicia’s biggest employers, Gonzalez Fuentes detailed his disappointment at the executive’s decision that did not recognise the gambling group’s history and involvement in improving the region’s sports facilities and grassroots initiatives.