Yesterday (17 January), the industry celebrated International Responsible Gambling Day, an annual event run by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) with the primary goal of raising awareness about the risks associated with gambling addiction.

On the latest episode of iGaming Daily, Fernando Noodt was joined by Lucia Gando and Ricardo Assis, Editors of SBC Noticias and SBC Noticias Brasil respectively, to discuss the significance of the day for Latin America.

Responsible gambling is a key focus throughout the region, the trio explained, but it has been a significant theme throughout the development of Brazil’s regulatory framework.

Ricardo said: “We have a law ordinance that was published in July 2024 that regards responsible gambling and it’s a really strict law ordinance. It inhibits welcome bonuses and advertising to people who are under 18. So it’s really strict and it’s aiming to [tackle] this responsible gambling issue. 

“The companies as well are also looking into it. If you look into the commercials that have been aired in the last six months or so, they are geared to responsible gambling. So this is something that is being really focused on by the big companies here.”

Elsewhere, in Argentina, the Buenos Aires City Lottery (LOTBA) and the city’s government have collaborated to launch its “Talk to Win” campaign which aims to encourage people to talk to others about responsible gambling.

The role of advertising, especially sports sponsorships and influencer marketing, in causing problem gambling has also been on the agenda for Argentina’s lawmakers.

The country’s Chamber of Deputies recently passed a bill proposing a complete ad blackout across digital and social platforms, as well as through the sponsorship of Argentinian sports teams and leagues.

Similar laws were brought into place in Spain in 2022, however, the government chose to scrap the laws two years later due to the negative impact on the country’s regulated market. 

“They changed it back because it was very harmful for the regulated industry and very productive for the illegal gaming sites that gained a lot of new players because people chose to go to them rather than be limited in legal platforms,” explained Lucia. 

Fernando agreed that it is important that advertising is not prohibited so that players can understand which operators are part of the regulated market. 

Although passed by the Chamber of Deputies, the proposal is still to go through the Argentinian Senate before being enacted into law.