The Gambling Regulation Office of Slovakia aims for strict control of advertising and insignia of games and casinos throughout Slovakia. The purpose is to ensure compliance with the law regarding the signs externale of the premises that offer gambling games eliminating any form of advertising within a 200 meter radius.
“Given that current practice and the information of the Office for Gambling Regulation have demonstrated that gambling operators do not comply with the provisions of the Gambling Act relating to advertising and to the signs of games and casinos, it is necessary for the State to guarantee an adequate regulatory intervention", said the director general of the Gambling Regulation Office, Martin Bohoš.
The Gambling Law establishes an absolute ban on advertising outside the gaming room or casino as well as in the surrounding area up to a distance of 200 m from the establishment, which attracts the attention of passers-by in any way by attracting attention to the existence of a gaming hall or casino or encouraging participation in a game of chance.
In the new guidelines, the Office for Gambling Regulation, within the scope of its legal competence to unify the interpretation of individual provisions of the Gambling Act, determines the rules of conduct of gambling operators 'gamble in such a way that the meaning and purpose of the Gambling Act is satisfied. It is necessary to clearly and definitively define that all forms of advertising signaling the existence of the establishment as well as elements and incentives encouraging participation in gambling at a maximum distance of 200 meters will therefore be considered illegal by the Office for the regulation of gambling. At the same time, rules are established for the appearance of the external parts of gaming halls and casinos, which must be free of any visual marketing communication, with the exception of signaling the entrance to gaming halls or casinos resulting from the law on gambling, without the use of any distinctive color (especially metallic, neon, etc.) on the external parts of the gaming hall or casino. The external part of the gaming hall or casino also includes the entrance from the street (shop windows, doors, windows, facade, roof) and the internal part accessible to the public of the building in which the gaming hall or casino is located.
In the case of location of a gaming hall or casino in a shopping center or hotel, the above also applies to all indication elements (panels, arrows, announcements or any other symbols, text, images, etc.) which are intended to help the visitor find and identify the gaming room or casino. The role of these elements is to draw attention to the existence of a gaming room or casino and therefore such advertising is prohibited by law. The advertising ban applies in all external parts of the gaming hall or casino and also within a radius of 200 meters from the gaming hall or casino.
Gambling operators are required to harmonize the signs of gaming halls and casinos with the law and with the new methodological guidelines by 30 June 2024. The exceptions are gaming halls and casinos located in the territory of cities or municipalities in which a generally binding regulation governing the prohibition of the location of gaming halls and casinos on its territory has already been adopted and the validity of the individual license for their operation ends at the latest on 30 September 2024.
