The public hearing on the Amendments was recently completed of the Advertising Act. In this case, the legislator is the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade, and the proposed amendments to the law should soon be on the agenda of the parliamentary session.
Although among the proposed changes there were also items concerning games of chance, have pretty much remained in the shadow of state advertising, as well as the debate surrounding tobacco and alcohol advertisers. However, betting is still a big problem in Serbia; moreover, it seems to be growing more and more and like a plague attacks the group in society that is most susceptible - the youth.
During that time, Serbia, together with Bosnia and Herzegovina, is fighting for first place in Europe in terms of the number of betting shops per capita. Amendments to the Law on Advertising brought certain improvements in the field of prevention, but still do not cover the entire problem of gambling.
WHAT IS CHANGING?
The Law on Games of Chance recognizes two types of games of chance. Classic ones are represented by games such as state lottery (lotto), lottery tickets or sports forecasts. On the other hand, games in arcades, on machines and betting fall under a special category. Amendments to the Law on Advertising propose several new provisions related to games of chance. However, they are more involved in special games, which lead to an incomparably greater addiction than classic ones. Special games of chance are, after all, the topic of this text.
If the amendments to this law are adopted, it will be prohibited to advertise special games of chance in open areas, including buses and taxis, by means of billboards, posters, displays, illuminated advertisements and the like. Exceptions are sports fields during sports events when the sponsor (in any form) is the organizer of games of chance, the premises in which they take place (but with the restriction that advertising from the outside can be located on 25 percent of the wall surface), as well as official vehicles of the organizer. Illuminated means of advertising are prohibited except in gaming rooms. The power of interest and the power of special operators of games of chance are closely related to the first exception. The two leading sports clubs in Serbia, Crvena zvezda and Partizan, also include the names of their main sponsors - betting companies. Their advertisements will remain visible.
Furthermore, the changes in the law mandate a ban on the advertising of special games of chance on all televisions except during the transmission of sports events (with certain rules). The ban also applies to internet portals, radio and print media, except in cases where they exclusively deal with sports content or during sports broadcasts. In addition, the social networks of the organizers of games of chance are an exception. It will not be possible to advertise in films, series, videos and plays.
Public figures are also prohibited from promoting, primarily because of the authority they possess. This group also includes influencers who often advertise betting shops as a quick way to make money. However, here too there is an exception that allows the organizers to avoid the ban. Public figures do not include athletes who play in clubs where organizers of games of chance are sponsors. There are plenty of such clubs in Serbia.
Among the changes regarding the advertising of the organizers of games of chance, there are also provisions regarding advertising and promotion of bonuses. "Vreme" previously wrote about the case of a pathological gambler whose e-mail address (while he is in prison for an offense stemming from gambling addiction) constantly received bonuses in order to return and continue playing. According to the changes, bonuses will continue to be promoted by electronic messages to players who have active accounts if they have previously agreed to this (mostly all); the organizers will also be able to advertise them on their websites, social networks, on portals dedicated to sports content, as well as on the pages of sports clubs and associations sponsored by the organizers.
What the members of the working group that worked on the drafting of amendments to the Advertising Act with whom "Vreme" spoke to see as particularly controversial is the addition of Article 56a. According to Article 56a, advertising is not considered to be the implementation of socially responsible actions of the lucky organizer, as well as reporting on them through the media or other channels.
Galjina Ognjanov, a professor at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Belgrade and a member of the working group that participated in the work on amendments to the Advertising Act, tells "Vreme" that this last article is classic green washing, that is, "laundering brands" through alleged social responsibility, and that in this way the legislator enabled them to "be more present in the public".
He believes that games of chance are more regulated than they were, especially this particular one, for which, as he says, "stronger restrictions" were introduced. Nevertheless, the interlocutor adds that the biggest discussion in the working group was about the advertising of alcohol and tobacco products, for which the restrictions have been relaxed, and not betting shops or games of chance.
PAIN, AND NOT NONSENSE
The aforementioned amendments to the Advertising Act have an impact on prevention, but do not solve the problem of existing gamblers. Jelena Manojlović, director of the SOS center for treatment and withdrawal from gambling, agrees with this view. For "Vreme", he says that the proposed changes can "only have the effect of reducing the number of new gamblers", but that they do not affect the current ones, who "don't care who is on the billboard" advertising for the betting shop.
When asked how many pathological gamblers there are in Serbia, Jelena Manojlović says that there is no precise data. He adds that the Institute for Public Health "Batut" has the number of those who are treated at that institution, but that this does not include gamblers who have turned to private counseling centers, as well as those who have not been treated. He adds that there are around 3.600 betting shops in Serbia, which is almost double the number of primary and secondary schools.
However, physical bookmakers today are not required to develop a gambling addiction. There are more and more pathological gamblers who do everything online. All you need is a smartphone. Bonuses and spins come on their own, especially before major sporting events such as world or European championships. The director of the SOS center adds that there is an "old guard" in betting shops, while young people are increasingly online. As she says, 90 percent of her clients gamble exclusively online. Adrenaline today does not distinguish between live roulette and virtual roulette.
A big problem in attracting a younger audience, the interlocutor believes, is represented by influencers, who have been able to advertise gambling unhindered until now. One of them was the famous YouTuber Baka Prase. In addition to the classic advertising of well-known influencers, there is also a large number of lesser-known ones who promote so-called tips, tips or alleged "formulas" for betting. They promise quick and easy probabilistic earnings, which generally do not end well for those who use their services. This development of events is another way to get the younger population hooked on gambling, at the beginning not even suspecting the direction it will take them.
When asked how the treatment of pathological gamblers works, Jelena Manojlović answers that polygraph tests are mainly used in order to find out the true condition because, as she says, gambling is based on "excuses". He adds that the main ones are "boredom and debts". He explains that treatment is based on removing the excuses, showing that everyone has them, and that they cannot be the trigger. He says that family support is necessary, but that each treatment is individual. On the other hand, the interlocutor explains that families often make mistakes at the beginning when paying back debts, because gambling is still seen as "insolence" and not as a "disease".
EPILOGUE
Betting houses and casinos are found on every corner throughout Serbia. This is even more visible in smaller towns, where besides bakeries and pharmacies, they are mostly the only facilities. The Law on Games of Chance from 2020 introduced certain restrictions, so special organizers of games of chance are prohibited from opening facilities within 200 meters of schools. However, if you take into account the fact that young people are betting more and more online, this restriction will certainly not prevent them.
Amendments to the Law on Advertising are a step in the direction of reducing the visibility of special organizers of games of chance. It would be ungrateful to say that the changes are purely cosmetic in nature, but they certainly will not prevent the appearance of new young gamblers, and especially they cannot significantly affect the reduction of the number of existing ones.
Organizers of special games of chance managed through a series of exceptions to be sufficiently present in the public and thus once again showed that they are stronger than the state.
