Romania enacts stricter gambling ad rules, bans use of celebrities in promotions

Romania's National Audiovisual Council (CNA) has introduced new advertising restrictions targeting the gambling sector, including a ban on the use of celebrities in promotional content and the mandatory broadcast of public warnings comparing gambling to drug addiction. The updated regulations were published in the Official Gazette and will enter into force on October 6, Golazo.ro reported.

A new official warning message - "Drug use and gambling are addictive. Choose not to destroy your life, ask for help" - must now be circulated across Romanian media platforms as part of all gambling-related advertising. The wording was proposed by the Ministry of Interior and adopted following consultations between CNA, various government bodies, and civil society organisations.

Valentin Jucan, President of the CNA, explained that the comparison between gambling and drug use was requested by the Ministry of Interior. "Not only the CNA was involved in changing this code, but all the authorities, civil society," he said.

One of the central provisions of the revised audiovisual code is the explicit prohibition of using celebrities - regardless of their field of activity - in gambling advertisements. Jucan noted that broadcasters and gambling companies have been given a three-month grace period to adapt to the new rules and avoid contractual disruptions.

"There is a grace period of 3 months, from publication in the Monitor, then the regulation will come into force. I said that it is a reasonable period offered to companies not to abruptly interrupt the contracts in force," Jucan said.

Once in effect, the new rules will apply across all television, radio, and online platforms operating in Romania.

The CNA has stated that the measures are aimed at reducing the normalisation of gambling, particularly among young people, and at aligning advertising standards with broader public health and safety objectives.

(Photo source: Andrew Angelov/Dreamstime.com)