Gambling Industry Overview in Portugal
The following approaches will be presented
- Gambling legislation in Portugal
- Gambling authorities in Portugal
- Online casinos in Portugal
- and more
Portugal's gambling market is considered quite promising, but also more relaxed when it comes to its laws in comparison to the legislation of other European countries.
All kinds of gambling activities are currently legal in Portugal, which includes not only casinos but the lottery, too. However, the situation regarding online casinos in the country is said to be a bit complicated due to the fact that local websites are aimed primarily at locally-based players.
Overview
As mentioned above, most kinds of gambling are legal in the country. The right of operating games of luck (also called games of chance) is granted to the state. The latter is provided with the opportunity to organize such games itself or delegate these rights to a separate entity. The state is also enabled with the power to authorize games offering prizes that are not monetary.
Non-charitable companies are not given the right to organize such games, except when the latter is made for a certain promotional activity.
The exclusive right to organize social games, which the state benefits directly, are provided to the so-called Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa Games Department (more-widely known under the abbreviation SCML). Such games include the state lottery and sports betting.
SCML is also entitled to some exclusive rights equal to state-sanctioned monopoly. It can organize sports betting, traditional lottery, lotto, as well as instant lottery. In the event the Department gets a special permittance from the country's government, other lotteries may be organized by it.
Horse racing activities and events' authorization and organization, however, are excluded from the rights of the SCML.
Other games in Portugal such as horse racing and bingo, are permitted, but they are available to operate only in the event of an inked contract. The contracts are usually for a period of two or three decades. The game is usually restricted to a certain area of the country thanks to these contracts.
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In addition, the government has granted a number of licenses to several casinos on the territory of Portugal. The country is divided into several gambling zones. Usually, one casino is permitted to exist in each gambling zone. The Government has also set a certain age in order to enter and play in the casinos in Portugal.
There are currently ten casinos in Portugal. Nine of them are located on mainland Portugal, and one is based in Madeira. Here are the nine casinos that have been licensed in the country:
- Casino Estoril
- Casino Lisboa
- Casino Solverde de Espinho
- Casino Figueira da Foz
- Hotel Algarve Casino
- Casino da Madeira & Casino Park Hotel
- Casino de Vilamoura
- Casino de Povoa de Varzim
- Casino de Monte Gordo
Relevant Legislation
Any illegal actions related to gambling operations in the country are to be punished by local laws. Organizing or participating in gambling operations and activities at venues other than casinos and bingo halls are considered illegal and are to be prosecuted. Some of the punishments that are to follow any violation of the local rules can be found in Articles 108, 111, and 114 of Portuguese Decree Law 114/2011.
Lottery
In 1783, Maria Pia, Queen of Portugal approved the SCML to carry out a lottery as part of a program aimed at generating money for the poor and the royal hospital. This is how the National Lottery of Portugal started.
Then, more than a century later, the so-called “Service of Lottery” was officially created, which is how the lottery operations in the country started running under the official name “Loteria Nacional”. SCML was entitled to the responsibility of running betting games depending on the results of football matches in 1961. Then, in 1985, the lotto monitoring and control were added to the SCML's responsibility, followed by some types of lotteries, including instant ones, about ten years later.
At first, the SCML delegated some of its responsibilities to the Department of Sports Betting as well as to the National Lottery Service. Then, the SCML transferred the running, control, and monitoring of all games to the Games Department that is run also under the hat of the SCML.
Online Gambling
In the online sports world, in-game betting is becoming growingly popular. While operators are competing to offer richer content and a more attractive platform, Portugal is distancing itself from this type of betting.
A new law proposal in generally gambling-friendly Portugal prohibits sportsbooks from publishing in-game odds.
This way of betting quickly became accepted among players because it offers a special thrill, unavailable in conventional sports betting. Live betting allows players to place bets while the match is in progress; also, to make things even more dynamic, the operator lowers or increases the odds for a certain bet during the match.
What is Portugal planning?
This betting method remains an option for players in this part of the world. However, in the interest of decreasing the exposure of sensitive groups to this type of sports betting, Portugal has prepared a law that will limit the advertising of this type of content. In particular, operators will be strictly prohibited from advertising live betting on television, social platforms, and the like. This kind of activity may be run exclusively within betting sites. The authorities believe that with this approach they will be able to reduce the damage caused by impulsive betting.
Portugal ran a similar action in mid-2021 when it limited the advertising of all forms of online gambling entertainment. Advertising of such content in Portugal is now possible only after 9 PM, until 7:30 AM.
The state was forced to take such a step during the COVID-19 pandemic when the online gambling market exploded; the number of active players doubled overnight, and with it the number of potential issues related to gambling addiction.
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