Responsible gambling advertising in Europe: the EGBA code and how national rules compare

Europe has no single gambling advertising law. The EU's Audiovisual Media Services Directive (2018/1808) sets general rules for audiovisual commercial communications. Gambling advertising, though, is mainly decided country by country, within limits set by EU case law. On top of the national laws sits a voluntary layer: the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) Code of Conduct on Responsible Advertising for Online Gambling, followed in 2025 by a pledge on influencer marketing.

This explainer covers what the industry code requires, how compliance is monitored, and how far several national regimes go beyond it.

The EGBA code: what it requires

EGBA published its code on 28 April 2020 and updated it on 25 June 2020. National industry associations in Belgium (BAGO), Denmark (DOGA), the Netherlands (Speel Verantwoord), Norway (NBO) and Portugal (APAJO) endorsed it. The code applies to EGBA members across the EU/EEA and the UK. The text is explicit that it does not override national law. Where a local rule or self-regulatory code is stricter, operators must follow the stricter rule.

The code refers to the Court of Justice of the EU's "channelling" case law, including Ladbrokes (C-258/08), Stoß (C-316/07) and Dickinger (C-347/09). These cases accept that licensed operators may advertise to steer consumers away from unlicensed offers, as long as that advertising stays measured.

Its main provisions:

• Content (Article 5). Ads must not present gambling as a way to solve financial problems or achieve social or sexual success. They must not use "nothing to lose" pressure messages, and they must not mislead about the odds of winning.
• Minors (Article 6). No cartoon or animated characters, superheroes or celebrities with a mainly underage audience. No gambling ads placed around children's programming.
• Safer gambling messaging (Article 7). Ads should carry an 18+ symbol, a helpline or safer-gambling reference, and a pointer to terms and conditions.
• Social media (Article 8). Commercial content must be clearly labelled (for example #ad). It must be age-gated where platforms allow, and branded accounts should carry a forward advice notice and age-screening tools.
• Sponsorship (Article 9). Sponsorship must respect the same protections for minors.

The code also provides for monitoring by an independent body.

Monitoring: what the checks found

EGBA's second monitoring exercise was run by the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) and concluded in December 2024. It reviewed 120 advertisements in Greece, Spain, Romania and the UK. According to EGBA's 24 February 2025 summary, compliance was high on TV and YouTube. Social media needed more consistent age-gating and forward advice notices. A separate review of influencer content from two members, in Spain and the UK, found that #ad disclosure needed to improve.

Influencers and live streams: the 2025 pledge

EGBA responded with the Responsible Influencer Marketing Pledge of 21 October 2025, developed with EASA. Signatories commit to:

• clear disclosure labels, drawing on EASA's DiscloseMe guidance;
• age-gating, and checking an influencer's audience demographics before working with them;
• screening the influencers they hire;
• independent monitoring, with non-compliant content removed.

The pledge covers all formats, including live streams.

EGBA presented the code and the pledge at a webinar on 18 November 2025, during European Safer Gambling Week. Speakers were Vasiliki Panousi of EGBA and Tudor Manda of EASA. EGBA said its six webinars that week drew about 2,000 registrations and 1,200 attendees, and it has published the recording.

How national rules compare

National law sets the real limits, and it varies widely. For context on market size, see EGBA's own market figures.

A few points stand out:

• Italy has gone furthest, and enforcement questions keep coming up. For example, Italy's communications regulator is consulting on infotainment under the Dignity Decree.
• Spain shows how court rulings can reshape the rules. The 2020 decree's celebrity ban and some of its promotion limits no longer stand after the 2024 judgment, but the 01:00–05:00 audiovisual window remains.
• The Netherlands and Belgium each moved from a moderation model to a near-ban in 2023. In Belgium, a Tournai court in June 2023 ordered the state not to sanction claimants for brand or logo displays that do not promote gambling. The Gaming Commission has said it will comply pending a ruling on the merits.
• Ireland has written a watershed and a social-media restriction into law. The minister said on 13 October 2026 that work with the Attorney General to commence them is ongoing.
• Sweden relies on a general duty of moderation rather than time bans, alongside a strict one-bonus limit.

What this means

The EGBA code sets the minimum for its members, mainly around minors, messaging and social media. In most of the markets above, national law is stricter, and under the code's own terms the stricter rule wins. As more advertising moves to influencers and live streams, both the 2025 pledge and national bans like the Dutch role-model rule are aimed at the same gap: content that reaches young audiences without clear disclosure.