In response to a number of legislative proposals, the Portuguese Parliament has decided to move forward with talks on more stringent gambling advertising regulations and extensive regulatory reforms.
Legislators decided on Friday to send five proposals from the left-wing LIVRE party to the committee stage. These measures include requiring addiction warnings on all gaming platforms, restricting sponsorship, and targeting online gambling ads.
The parliamentary discussion takes place as Portugal’s gambling industry continues to develop under its dual regulatory framework.
While online gambling and sports betting have been regulated since 2015 under Decree-Law 66/2015, land-based operations are still subject to the 1989 Gambling Law.
Industry Stakeholders Voice Concerns Over Proposed Changes
The advertising restrictions have been fiercely opposed by the Portuguese Online Betting and Gambling Association (APAJO), which claims that they will favour illegal operators at the expense of authorised businesses.
APAJO President Ricardo Domingues stated: “Advertising is the only real advantage that licensed operators have over illegal ones. And it’s the only way for Portuguese consumers to distinguish between the licensed and the unlicensed, the safe and the unsafe.”
About 40% of Portuguese online gamblers still use unlicensed platforms, and three-quarters are not aware that they are not following the law, according to APAJO data.
The group cautioned that restrictions on advertising might replicate Italy’s experience, where they allegedly increased the black market instead of decreasing gambling.
The reform proposals have caused political rifts. Livre’s strategy was deemed excessive by the ruling PSD, and the Socialist Party (PS) has consented to back a non-binding resolution advocating for a more comprehensive modernisation of the gambling framework.
Licensed operators currently pay a flat 25% tax on online casino gross gaming revenue and 8–16% tax on sports betting turnover.
Now, parliamentary committees will decide whether to follow the Socialist Party’s modernisation strategy or impose LIVRE’s advertising restrictions.
Although the 2015 regulatory framework initially caused a number of foreign operators to withdraw from the market, Portugal’s regime has recently attracted new licensees due to the competitiveness of the European tax landscape.
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