Denmark has formally introduced legislation that would impose tighter restrictions on gambling advertising, strengthen player-protection requirements and give the national regulator broader powers against the unlicensed market.
Bill L 37 was submitted to the Danish Parliament on 7 October by Tax and Growth Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt. The proposal is scheduled for its first parliamentary reading on 22 October. Official documents describe the package as covering stricter gambling marketing and supply rules, stronger supervision of the unregulated market, new criteria for calculating fines and changes affecting land-based gambling operations.
Advertising rules target sport and younger audiences
One of the most significant measures is a restriction on gambling advertising around live sport. Gambling commercials would be prohibited from 10 minutes before a live sporting event begins until 10 minutes after it ends, covering television and streaming broadcasts.
Marketing would also face tighter content rules. Advertisements would not be allowed to present gambling as entertainment or suggest that gambling could substantially improve a person’s life. People under 25 could not be used in gambling advertising, while promotional material must not be designed to appeal particularly to children or people under 18.
Outdoor advertising would be prohibited on public transport and restricted within 200 metres of educational institutions, including schools and universities. Sports sponsorships and sponsorship arrangements involving physical venues would remain permitted under the proposal.
The rules would also extend beyond licensed operators themselves. Affiliates, influencers and other third parties involved in promoting gambling products could be held responsible for breaches of Denmark’s gambling-marketing requirements.
Duty of care and tougher enforcement
Licensed operators would also face a statutory duty of care requiring them to identify risky gambling behaviour and intervene where necessary. Companies would need to maintain internal records detailing their responsible gambling procedures, provide appropriate safer-gambling training to employees and partners, and regularly assess whether their player-protection measures are working effectively.
The bill would establish a more structured penalty system. For land-based gambling venues, SBC reported proposed fines of DKK 60,000 for a first offence and DKK 80,000 for a second offence, while a third violation could result in licence suspension. Penalties for online operators could be calculated partly according to their gross gaming revenue, allowing larger businesses to face proportionately higher sanctions.
Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gambling Authority, would meanwhile receive stronger enforcement powers against illegal gambling. These would include expanded authority to pursue the blocking of unlicensed intermediary websites targeting Danish consumers. The official parliamentary description confirms that strengthening regulatory supervision of the unregulated market is a central part of the legislation.
The proposal follows an earlier version of the gambling reform introduced during the previous parliamentary session, which subsequently lapsed. That proposal contained many of the same advertising, enforcement and land-based gambling reforms now included in L 37.
If approved by parliament, the main provisions of the new framework are expected to take effect from 1 January 2027.