Belgian Football Clubs Face Scrutiny Over Gambling Ad Compliance
Belgian football clubs must fully comply with new advertising rules. These rules ban the promotion of betting and gambling sponsors to audiences.
Commission Warns Anderlecht and Club Brugge
The Kansspelcommissie, Belgium’s Gambling Commission, has warned Pro League clubs RSC Anderlecht and Club Brugge KV.
The Commission examines whether to impose severe fines on the clubs. The reason is that they may have undermined new sponsorship rules introduced on January 1, 2025. These two biggest football clubs in Belgium are “placed under scrutiny.”
Advertising Reforms Aim to Combat Addiction
Since 2023, the Belgian government has implemented advertising reforms to combat gambling addiction. Former Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne sanctioned these reforms.
Phase-1 imposed a ban on gambling advertising (except for the national lottery) in public spaces and national media. This includes TV, radio, billboards, and newspapers.
Authorities must ensure a full ban on all forms of gambling by 2028.
Sponsorship Restrictions in Effect
For Belgian sports, sponsorship restrictions came into effect on January 1, 2025. These prohibit sports clubs from promoting gambling advertisers on team shirts.
They also limit the exposure of gambling logos in stadiums. Gambling logos can still appear on the back of club shirts, not exceeding 75 cm².
Clubs can collaborate with groups that promote gambling brands indirectly. This includes foundations, fan networks, apps, football websites, and online broadcasts.
Clubs Accused of Circumventing Rules
Anderlecht and Club Brugge allegedly circumvented the rules. They enlarged the logos of their sponsors, Napoleon Sports and Unibet.
Both clubs deny the allegations, stating they have complied with regulations. Other instances saw clubs alter gambling company names on jerseys.
They appeared unrelated while still linking to betting platforms. Some clubs manipulated logo size rules by only counting letters in sponsor names.
Commission Clarifies Logo Size Calculation
Marjolein De Paepe, Communications Director of Kansspelcommissie, responded:
“For the size calculation, only the total space occupied by the sponsor’s name will be taken into account, not the surface area of each individual character.”
She added:
“The concerned clubs have been informed and are required to strictly adhere to this rule. In case of further violations, the Gambling Commission may impose administrative sanctions on license holders by issuing a warning, temporarily suspending, or permanently revoking their license.”
Netherlands to Implement Blanket Ban
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Gambling Authority of the Netherlands, monitors sponsorship restrictions. It will implement a blanket ban on all gambling sponsorships from July 1.
KSA Chairman Michel Groothuizen reassured the Kamer (Dutch Parliament) that all “creative loopholes” will be closed.
This avoids a situation similar to what Belgian football has experienced. He stated that “Dutch sports will not be undermined by gambling sponsorships.”