A bill to extend the legal provisions cornering the banning of advertisements for all the categories of games of chance was registered in Parliament by a group of MPs of the Party of Action and Solidarity. The ban will cover lotteries, bets at competitions and sporting events and other forms of services in the field of games of chance, including online ones, IPN reports.

According to the authors of the bill, the given games of chance are as noxious and cause dependence alongside the other games of chance, such as casino games and slot and other machines, even if these are classed as games of chance with a low social risk.

Under the bill, Article 53, paragraph 2 of the law on the organization and holding of games of chance is supplemented with a paragraph that directly or indirectly bans any form of advertising or promotion of all types of games of chance, including lotteries and bets, advertisements on radio and television, in print media, in cinema and video services, through the Internet, etc.

The law on advertising is supplemented with the same article, but with the mention that “an exception is the use of promotional marketing, promotion or stimulation of games of chance inside the head office of the business entity that is authorized by law to organize, hold and exploit games of chance and the distribution of promotional materials that are intended only for participants in games of chance.” A paragraph is added to ban the business entities that deal with games of chance to initiate or take part in sponsorships or philanthropic activities as a result of which their name or information about the entity’s relationship with the event that becomes publicity can become visible.

The paragraph by which the Audiovisual Council imposes additional requirements on broadcasters concerning the protection of minors within linear audiovisual media services when distributing programs dedicated to bets or games of chance (except lotteries) that are permitted between 1am and 5am was removed from the Code of Media Audiovisual Services of the Republic of Moldova.

The Contravention Code is supplemented with a paragraph by which those who violate the provisions of the law are punished with a fine of 3 000 to 6 000 lei in the case of private individuals or persons holding a responsible post or of 6 000 to 9 000 lei in the case of legal entities, with ban on performing a particular activity for a period of six months to a year.