Gambling advertising
Gambling operators, who hold licences to provide gambling in Denmark, must comply with the rules on marketing stipulated in the Danish Act on Gambling. Furthermore, the marketing must also be in accordance with the Danish Marketing Practices Act.
The Danish Act on Gambling
Only available in Danish
According to the Danish Gambling Act, the marketing:
- Shall present the chance of winning in a correct and balanced manner that does not give the impression that the chance of winning is greater than it actually is
- Shall focus on gambling as a form of entertainment
- Shall neither in form of communication or choice of media, target children and young people under the age of 18
- Shall not by using well-known personalities, contrary to the truth, imply that participation in gambling has contributed to the their success
- Shall not have a content that conveys the impression that participation in gambling activities promote a solution to financial problems or the player’s social acceptance
The above follows from the Danish Act on Gambling, section 36, subsection 1, no. 1.5.
The guide is a supplement to the gambling legislation's chapters on sales promotion and is published in December 2020, as a consequence of the new executive orders.
About bonuses
When marketing bonus offers, the gambling operator shall ensure that all conditions are disclosed in a lucid and transparent manner directly alongside the actual offer. This means that all terms and conditions including benefits and restrictions must be appear from the offer at its first presentation and in the same medium as the advertising takes place. Read more about the rules on marketing in "Guide on sales promoting arrangements"
What is a wagering requirement?
A wagering requirement is a requirement that is often seen in connection with bonus offers by gambling operators.
It may say as follows: "The bonus must be turned over 10 times" or "stake and bonus must be turned over 10 times". This means that you must wager the amount you have received as a bonus times the number that is required by the wagering requirement.
If you deposit DKK 100 on an account and receive DKK 100 in bonus, it involves the following: If you must only wager the bonus 10 times, you must turn over DKK 100 times 10 = DKK 1,000 on the gambling site before you can withdraw any winnings that you have gained in connection with your bonus.
If you must wager both your stake and bonus, you must turn over (DKK 100 + DKK 100) times 10 = DKK 2,000 before you can withdraw any winnings that you have gained in connection with your bonus.
Thus, it is important that you are aware of all terms and conditions connected to an offer before you accept receiving a bonus.
If you wish to file a complaint about a gambling operator’s advertising
The Danish Gambling Authority does not handle specific disputes. The Danish Gambling Authority’s role is to supervise that the gambling legislation is complied with and that gambling is provided in a fair, responsible and transparent way.
No thank you to marketing
If you do not wish to receive advertising from a gambling operator, you must unsubscribe on the gambling operator’s website or call them.
If you have excluded yourself from gambling via ROFUS (the register of self-excluded persons) after January 2017, you can choose to decline advertising from all licencees of the Danish Gambling Authority.
Illegal advertising
If a gambling operator does not hold a licence to provide gambling in Denmark, the operator must not market its gambling offers in neither print, electronic, nor social media.
Report illegal advertising
If you find illegal advertising for gambling, you can contact the Danish Gambling Authority in the following ways:
- Use our contact form under the menu “contact” in the main menu
- Call us on tel. no. +45 72 38 79 13
Contact the Danish Gambling Authority
It would be very helpful to us if your report includes the domain name/name of the medium/address of the operator including the date of when you saw the advertisement. We would also appreciate if you attach documentation of the illegal offer or advertisement.
What happens to the report?
Your enquiry will be part of our supervision of the gambling market where we examine whether advertising for or supply of gambling without a licence has taken place.
Gambling operators who provide gambling without a licence will receive a notice of contravention to stop the illegal gambling. Ultimately, we may take a district court action in order to block the website in question or report the operatpr to the police.
Likewise, media that advertise gambling or gambling operators without a licence will receive a notice of contravention to stop the illegal advertising. If the media does not stop the illegal advertising, it will be reported to the police.
Who has a licence to provide gambling in Denmark?
See the list of gambling operators with a licence to provide online gambling in Denmark