SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Romania’s National Audiovisual Council (CNA) has prohibited celebrities from participating in gambling promotions.
The decision was unanimously approved by the watchdog during a public session held on 26 June, where figureheads amended the Audiovisual Regulatory Code to include a ban on celebrity appearances in gambling adverts across TV. radio, and online.
As quoted by Romanian media outlet PaginaDeMedia, the changes read: “It is prohibited to broadcast advertising for gambling in which public, cultural, scientific, sports personalities or other individuals who, due to their online notoriety, may encourage participation in such games, are present.”
Celebrities previously featured in gambling ad campaigns include football players like Florin Răducioiu, Răzvan Raț, and Ilie Dumitrescu, together with famous singers like Antonia, Lora, and Alex Velea.
This will no longer be possible after the updated framework comes into force within three months of the vote’s date.
As expected, the vote did not go without some resistance from the gambling sector and relevant stakeholders. Interested groups tried to submit draft provisions that would avoid a full-on ban.
Requests made to the CNA mainly revolved around allowing celebrities to participate in social responsibility campaigns, as proposed by Winbet, Kaizen Gaming, the Romanian Football Federation, and the Federation of Gambling Organisers. They were all rejected.
As part of the new legislation, on-demand streaming services will also have to comply with the new rules, which are directed towards reducing the influence of gambling ads on children.
The changes come at a turbulent time for the Romanian gambling sector, with the national regulator ONJN under fire over €900m missing in tax fees.
Headed by a new President as a result of the fallout, the gambling authority is now on a crusade to strengthen player safety standards within the Romanian market, which includes a rework of the national self-exclusion scheme.
In addition, the regulator recently asked Meta and Google to aid its efforts against online promotions of black market operators.
