The Portuguese government is set to unveil new laws over the summer to tackle illegal online gambling, as confirmed by Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida.
Almeida described unlicensed gaming as a “plague” when announcing a public awareness campaign aimed at giving the proper legal authority to combat unlawful betting. The legislation would modernize the nation’s gambling regulations, which would include improved enforcement and prevention, and greatly enhance consumer protection, he stated.
Portugal’s traditional online gambling sector has an estimated value of approximately €24 billion, as Almeida highlighted, but warned that the amount of unlicense activity continues to grow rapidly.
Therefore, he called on stakeholders within the gambling sector to submit proposals for the best possible way to amend the existing laws to better assist authorities in working against unlawful activities and operators.
In order to support the anticipated new laws, Portugal has already made many changes to its gambling sector over the last 12 months. In January, Portugal approved many new features, such as bet builders, bet boosts and bonus purchases.
The anticipated new legislation will assist Portugal in its efforts to stop unlawful gambling and continue protecting consumers within the legal market.
