Compliance-Aware Marketing in Regulated Gambling Markets

No consumer industry has its marketing regulated as tightly, or as differently from country to country, as gambling. For operators and for the B2B suppliers and agencies that serve them, compliance is not a final check before launch; it is a design input for every campaign, journey and piece of content.

This overview describes the main rules in several important markets as of late 2026. Regulations change often, so treat it as a starting map and check the current rules with the regulator before planning.

Great Britain

Gambling is licensed under the Gambling Act 2005 by the Gambling Commission. Advertising content is governed by the CAP and BCAP codes, enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority. Since October 2022, gambling ads must not have strong appeal to under-18s, which in practice keeps many top athletes, influencers and youth-oriented styles out of creative. Industry members follow a code that keeps betting ads out of live sport broadcasts before the 9pm watershed, and Premier League clubs removed gambling sponsors from the front of their shirts from the 2026-27 season.

For CRM, the most important recent changes are in the Commission's licence conditions: since January 2025 wagering requirements on bonuses are capped at ten times, and promotions that mix products (for example a sports bet that unlocks casino spins) are banned. The Commission has also moved to give customers control over which products and channels they receive direct marketing for. Operators are accountable for the marketing of their affiliates.

The Netherlands

The Remote Gambling Act opened a licensed online market in October 2021, supervised by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). Since July 2023 untargeted advertising for online gambling, such as on television, radio, billboards and in print, has been banned, as has the use of athletes and other role models in ads. Sports sponsorship has been phased out. Marketing has largely moved to targeted channels where audiences can be verified, and to existing customers who have consented.

Germany

The State Treaty on Gambling 2021 created a national framework for online slots and poker, overseen by the Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL). Advertising for virtual slot machines, online poker and online casino games on television and the internet is not allowed between 6am and 9pm. Players have a cross-operator monthly deposit limit, typically €1,000, which shapes how operators think about customer value.

Italy and Spain

Italy's 2018 "Dignity Decree" introduced a broad ban on gambling advertising and sponsorship, which still defines the market; operators rely on brand content, information services and existing-customer communication. Spain's Royal Decree 958/2020 restricted gambling advertising on broadcast media to late-night hours and limited bonuses and celebrity endorsements; Spain's Supreme Court annulled some of its provisions in 2024, but much of the framework remains in place.

Ontario

Ontario opened a regulated online market in April 2022, with iGaming Ontario contracting operators and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) setting standards. Operators may not advertise bonuses and inducements publicly, only on their own sites or to customers who have agreed to receive them, and since February 2024 active and retired athletes have been largely barred from gambling ads.

United States

Regulation is state by state. Sports betting is legal in most states, while online casino gaming is legal in a much smaller group that includes New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Each state's regulator sets its own advertising rules, and many require affiliates and marketing vendors to be licensed or registered. The American Gaming Association publishes an industry marketing code that its members follow, covering audience targeting, college partnerships and messaging.

Brazil

Brazil's regulated fixed-odds betting and online gaming market began on 1 January 2025, overseen by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets in the Ministry of Finance. Licensed operators must follow advertising rules on audiences, claims and the use of celebrities, and the market has become one of the most closely watched in the industry.

Planning around the rules

The common thread is documentation: knowing, and being able to show, who received what and why. Our post on documenting marketing automation processes describes the habits that make that possible, marketing automation for betting operators shows how compliance filters sit inside automated journeys, and affiliate economics explains how the rules reach affiliate publishers.