Political parties in Serbia and the Netherlands have called on their respective governments to impose stricter measures on gambling advertisements.

Serbia’s Greens, the Zeleno-Left Front (ZLF), have demanded more punitive restrictions on gambling advertisements. Meanwhile, a draft bill by the Netherlands’ Christen Unie (CU) and The Socialist Party (SP) included a proposal for an almost complete blanket ban on gambling advertisements.

Stricter Serbian guidelines

During a forum organised by the ZLF, members criticised a proposed government bill to limit the scope of gambling promotions. 

ZLF MP Marina Mijatović stated that the proposal to amend the Law on Games of Chance will not be enough to protect vulnerable groups, especially children.

She said: “Games of chance cannot be abolished, but all those advertisements do not need to be flashy and attract so much attention.

“ZLF also advocates that gambling establishments must not attract attention and provoke people, especially those struggling with addiction.”

In a separate interview for media agency Beta, ZLF member and Member of the National Assembly Biljana Đorđević commented that the proposed government bill’s scope is not enough.

She called for athletes to also be included in the category of people banned from appearing in gambling promotions. Currently, the government’s bill text proposes that only actors and singers should be prohibited from these types of advertisements. 

Đorđević also criticised Tomislav Momirović, Serbia’s Minister of Internal and External Trade, for not playing a more active role in the debates around advertising. 

However, Momirović has commented on the issue before, stating that the proposed bill is specifically aimed at protecting young people and that the Serbian government will look into additional measures to ban gambling adverts on billboards so that their visibility in public can be minimised. 

Dutch blanket ban

In the Netherlands, the CU and SP party’s private members bill was put forward by their two leaders, Michael van Nispen (SP) and Mirjam Bikker (CU), and included a proposal for an almost complete blanket ban on gambling advertisements.

Other key points include compulsory limits on deposits and play time for online casino games, and a full ban on credit card gambling.

Previously, van Nispen has pressed Teun Strycken, the Dutch Secretary of State for Legal Protection, on the prominence of gambling advertisements being viewed by younger audiences, with 60% of all gambling advertisements reaching younger adults, according to stats cited by the SP Minister.

This is mainly through online channels, as amendments applied in July 2023 by the Remote Gambling Act (KOA) legislative framework banned all gambling adverts on TV, radio, print, and in public spaces.

The CU-SP reformist duo also landed a big victory earlier this year when they gained some ground in their push to ban gambling advertisements after Dutch MPs supported one of van Nispen’s motions against online gambling ads.