Danish regulator to enforce deposit limits from January 2020

Danish gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has announced a series of updates to its online casino certification, with deposit limits set to become mandatory from 1 January, 2020. From that date, it will become mandatory for customers to set a monthly, weekly or daily deposit limit before they can gamble. These changes were first put forward in a draft executive order published in January this year. Alongside a range of new controls related to gambling advertising, namely limits on how much a player may spend and wager to be eligible for a bonus offer, licensees were also required to provide information on help for problem gamblers, and link to the country’s self-exclusion database ROFUS.  The updated online casino regulations now state that self-exclusion must also be an automated process, meaning a player should be able to self-exclude directly from an operator’s site, rather than by emailing a customer service representative. Player gambling data must also be kept on file for at least five years, and licensees will be required to develop internal rules, process and staff training on responsible gambling. In addition, Spillemyndigheden’s logo must be clearly displayed on a licensee’s site, to make clear that it has been certified by the regulator.  The changes come after the Danish government recently announced that it will increase the tax paid by the country’s licensed igaming operators to 28% of gross gaming revenue, claiming that this will ultimately raise DKK150m in new tax revenue. The tax hike, which will become effective from 2021, will see the tax rate increased from 20% of GGR, which has been in place since the Danish regulated online gambling market opened in 2012.