Croatia will move to overhaul its gambling laws as a pledge guaranteed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Croatia’s new government.
Yesterday, Plenković submitted the draft decree of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) to Parliament, demanding ministers back an urgent reform of Croatia’s ‘Gambling Act’.
Plenković stated that urgent reforms need to be implemented, as growing concerns had been raised by local leaders, city mayors, and municipal leaders about the high and unprotected exposure of gambling to citizens.
Prior to Croatia’s snap elections in May, Plenković and the HDZ-coalition government had been criticised by opposition leaders for failing to tackle gambling addiction “impacting the lives of +40,000 Croats“.
Croatia’s gambling regime was established in 2009 under the Republic’s Games of Chance Act, which was modified in 2015 to include new gambling activities. Although Parliament has hosted several debates on gambling amendments, no decree has been proposed until now.
Addressing Parliament, Plenković said: “Gambling has spread significantly through the digital space, and we must consider its impact on young generations, which is detrimental. We need to influence the reduction of gambling addiction and much better regulate this activity.”
The draft decree of HDZ proposes to strengthen the key disciplines of gambling advertising, protecting minors, promoting responsible gambling, self-exclusion, and tougher enforcement and compliance.
Proposals were drafted by Finance Minister Marko Primorac, who detailed that the decree aims for Croatia to adopt centralised control and monitoring of gambling activities.
HDZ has proposed a “strict code on gambling advertising” that will prohibit adverts from being displayed in public outdoor spaces and print media.
Croatian media must adopt restrictive controls for gambling ads displayed on TV, radio, and digital platforms. For TV, gambling advertising will be prohibited from 6 am to 11 pm, with exemptions provided for live sports broadcasts. Online media will be prohibited from promoting online gambling incentives, such as bonuses and free bets.
Media owners and gambling advertisers must ensure the targeting of marketing campaigns promoting gambling to audiences above 18. All gambling adverts must carry warnings of addiction and risks.
Yet to be specified, HDZ will propose ‘comprehensive measures’ to prevent Croatian minors from gambling. However, exemptions will be made for Hrvatska Lutrija, Croatia’s national lottery – which the government has categorised as ‘low-risk gaming’.
Land-based gambling venues will carry an “obligation to identify all players entering establishments” and will be excluded from promoting gambling activities outside of venues.
Noted as HDZ’s headline measure, Minister Primorac outlined plans to implement a “register for self-excluded players will be established and maintained by the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ)”.
The register will allow for self-exclusion requests to be made by the player, family, doctors, and social care workers, with the means to exclude a Croatian citizen indefinitely from participating in gambling. Primorac and the HDZ government outlined that the self-exclusion register “must be established by 2026”.
A new compliance framework will be introduced to Croatian gambling, in which licensed operators will be disqualified if they are in constant breach of regulations. Croatian banks will be ordered to block payments to all unlicensed operators black-listed by the government.
Primorac urged ministers to back HDZ’s decree, to fast track urgent changes to Croatia’s gambling laws from 2024 onwards, concluding: “The changes aim to limit the mechanisms of responsible gambling organisation, its availability, and the encouragement to participate. This will also lead to a reduction in addiction and its negative consequences, both for the individual and for society as a whole.”
PM Plenković cited that an overhaul of gambling will be a key mandate of his third term in office, forming a new government with Croatia DP party as a minority partner.
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