Belgium May Restrict Football Gambling Ads

This week the Belgian Gaming Commission announced that they may restrict the gambling advertisements that air during football matches int he country.

The report came after the regulator looked into ads that ran during the 2019 Jupiler Pro League playoffs. The regulator's findings indicate that there was a widespread set of ads that ran during the matches. 14 of the teams in the playoffs were sponsored by gaming groups, including all teams that got to the final 6. This was in addition to the ads that ran during game breaks and in stadiums.

The report in part read: "The analysis of the gambling advertising shown during the football play-offs and the analysis of the betting data show, on the one hand, that gambling advertising is ubiquitous in football events and on the other hand, that an increase in gambling activity can be observed on the playing days of the play-offs."

This led to the BGC considering restricting some of the involvement in the sport, including the possibility of bans of between-whistle ads.

"It is necessary to know whether quantitative restrictions on advertising can be implemented. This can range from an advertising ban, a ban on sponsoring sports clubs or product placement, over a point system to a maximum percentage of the public space that can be occupied by such advertising messages. Based on this, the Gaming Commission can elaborate a targeted control and sanction policy."