Panama Enacts New Law to Strengthen Problem Gambling Prevention

Law 527 has been signed and passed in the country of Panama as a new legislative regulation aimed at regulating and controlling problem gambling in the country. This new legislation has appeared in Panama’s Official Gazette and includes the following strict regulations for casinos, online betting services, and online gaming.

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As mentioned above, Law 527 allows for up to six months for the implementation and regulation of the legislation. It was emphasized that the measures introduced in the document should control the growing trend in digital gambling and improve the system of consumer protection, paying special attention to minors.

Problem Gambling Prevention Legislation in Panama

Problem gambling is now officially considered a public health issue in Panama, and a number of preventive tools have been introduced to reduce gambling-related risks for players. Some of the main provisions in the new legislation include the following:

• Mandatory time and spending limits on the part of gamblers
• Introduction of biometric identity and age verification of users
• Mandatory use of facial recognition technologies in casinos
• Increased powers for the blocking of unauthorized gambling websites in Panama.

Online Platforms and Casinos Obligations

Firstly, the new law stipulates that the owners of online platforms have to provide responsible gaming opportunities and introduce tools through which gamblers can self-set spending and time limits. Moreover, gambling sites will need to create systems that automatically detect suspicious behavior on the part of players.

Secondly, any platform that provides digital gambling opportunities will be obliged to apply the system of biometric identity and age verification in order to protect minors from participating in any activities on gambling websites.

At the same time, traditional casinos and Type A slot machine halls should also comply with additional requirements. According to the new legislation, these facilities will need to employ facial recognition systems for the identification of people banned by the Gaming Control Board from playing games in any gambling venue in Panama.

Increased Enforcement Powers and Penalties for License Holders

According to the new law, the Gaming Control Board of Panama will acquire additional tools in order to control and ban illegal gambling operators. This new provision grants the opportunity to restrict websites, applications, domains, and IP addresses used by unlicensed gambling venues operating in the region.

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Furthermore, the law obliges Internet and telecommunications services to cooperate in case of an order on the blocking of specific IP addresses and domains. Otherwise, the operator will have to pay a fine of one million balboas.

In addition, the law outlines other penalties for those gambling businesses that do not comply with prevention and control requirements in the legislation. The fine may range between 25,000 and 100,000 balboas, depending on the severity of the crime. Repeat offenders will face double punishments, as well as temporary and even permanent prohibition of operating. Annually, casinos will undergo audit procedures.

Supporting Prevention and Treatment Measures

The new law also introduces mechanisms of funding various treatment and prevention programs aimed at reducing the negative impact of gambling addiction in Panama. As a result, there will be a fund that will be managed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In its turn, the fund will allocate money for the work of the Mental Health Institute for the purposes of conducting treatment programs for patients with gambling disorder.

Such financing of the problem will be possible through the collection of money from gambling operators, specifically, 0.5% of revenue per year. Thus, the new legislation should contribute to improving the state of affairs regarding gambling addiction in Panama.

Moreover, as it has been outlined above, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education will be obliged to develop and finance educational materials on the issue.

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Source: SBC Noticias