The gambling regulatory body of Belgium has urged politicians to start a discussion over the implementation of more restrictive rules regarding gambling advertising. The watchdog also suggested the consideration of a potential ban on the practice following a recent report’s revelations regarding the country’s major football competition.
The above-mentioned report of the Belgian Gaming Commission is called “Gokreclame in de play-offs voetbal en het effect op gokactiviteit” (“Gambling advertising in the football playoffs and the effect on gambling activity”). This has been the first time ever for the country’s gambling regulatory body to conduct a qualitative analysis of gambling advertising and its presence in professional sport.
Based on the data gathered at the time of the study, the Gaming Commission concluded that football fans had been facing a large scale with gambling advertising. In addition, it turned out that young individuals are also frequently reached by gambling advertising. Therefore, the Commission criticized the widespread gambling adverts during the play-offs of the Jupiler Pro League that took place in 2019.
The recently-revealed study emphasized on the fact that football supporters are targetted by a large number of betting companies’ adverts from the very moment they purchase a ticket for a football match because of the sponsorship deals inked between football clubs and gambling operators.
Belgium’s Gambling Watchdog Says Various Measures Regarding Gambling Advertising Could Be Considered
As unveiled by the Belgian Gaming Commission, the recent analysis of gambling advertising during the aforementioned football play-offs and the analysis of the data regarding gambling over the same period, gambling advertising is literally found everywhere in football events. Moreover, a boost in local residents’ gambling activity could also have been observed at the time when the play-offs took place.
What concerns the Belgian gambling watchdog is the fact that such a close relationship between gambling and football could create the wrong impression to the wider public, making people that the two of them are linked. And this, according to the Gaming Commission, could be dangerous, as it could make people think gambling is a normal part of their everyday lives.
It also turns out that sponsorship agreements inked between professional football clubs and gambling companies are pretty common now. According to data provided in the report, 14 out of 18 Pro League clubs have a gambling operator as a sponsor, including all six clubs that participated in the playoff championship.
All of the above-said has made the Belgian Gaming Commission insist on more qualitative restrictions or a full ban regarding gambling advertising in football. As the watchdog shared, a variety of measures could be taken to address the issue, including a ban on sponsorship agreements between professional sports clubs and gambling companies, an advertising ban or even stricter measures regarding the relationship created between football and gambling.
