The socialists intend to extend the minimum period of self-exclusion for dependent players and create a Transparency Portal.
The Socialist Party (PS) presented a bill in Parliament that aims to strengthen the regulation of online gaming and betting in Portugal. The initiative comes at a time when the government is preparing a review of the sector’s legislation and when concerns are growing about the social and economic impact of online gambling.
Socialists argue that, although the activity generates significant revenue for the State and contributes to the financing of areas such as sport, tourism and culture, the risks associated with dependence require a strengthening player protection mechanisms. Among the main changes proposed is the reformulation of the self-exclusion system, currently considered fragmented and ineffective, explains .
The project provides that any request for self-exclusion can be made with a licensed operator and take effect across the entire regulated marketpreventing users from having to distinguish between exclusions limited to one platform or those applicable to all operators. The PS also proposes increasing the minimum self-exclusion period from three to six months.
The initiative, signed by deputy Nuno Fazenda, comes a few months after Parliament had rejected a similar proposal from Livrewhich also defended the expansion of self-exclusion and an increase in its minimum duration. The proposal was then rejected with PSD and CDS-PP voting against and Chega abstaining.
In addition to reviewing the self-exclusion regime, socialists want to create a Game Market Transparency Portalpromote regular awareness campaigns for responsible gambling and establish a specific legal basis to block payment transactions associated with illegal gambling.
The project also envisages the creation of a public list of unlicensed entities and a channel for reporting platforms suspected of illegal exploitation of online gambling and betting. At the same time, it proposes the development of an Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Illegal Online Gambling, in conjunction with the National Plan for the Reduction of Addictive Behaviors and Addictions 2030.
The debate on the sector intensified after the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, announced that the Government should approve new legislation this summer to update the online game rules.
