SBC News Top Belgian clubs find betting sponsorship loophole
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Top Belgian clubs find betting sponsorship loophole

Clubs in the Jupiler Pro League – Belgium’s top football division – have found ways around a new law that restricts betting companies becoming primary sponsors.

The country’s gambling commission, Kansspelcommissie (KSC), implemented stricter rules on gambling sponsorships in early January.

Under these measures, sports clubs may only partner with entities that do not operate games of chance directly but still feature gambling brands indirectly. Examples include foundations, supporter groups, apps, football information websites and online broadcast platforms.

Additionally, logos of gambling operators cannot appear on the front of kits and must not exceed a size of 75 cm².

Despite these rules, some clubs have found creative ways to navigate them. Club Brugge has a sponsorship deal with sportsbook Unibet. To comply with the new regulations, the club used U-Expert branding on the front of their shirts.

U-Expert, a sports news app by Unibet, has several links in the app to the betting platform. Charleroi is also using U-Expert branding in a similar way. Standard Liege is showcasing Circus Daily on the front of its kits, a site that drives traffic to the betting brand CircusAntwerp is using the AntwerpFirst foundation branding, which is supported by BetFirst.

Meanwhile, Cercle Brugge is displaying Goalden Palace News, another news site that directs users to a betting platform.

At this moment in time, the KSC has opened an investigation into these methods.

A lesson for the Premier League? 

Premier League clubs are set to face a similar rule change starting in the 2026/27 season, with a widespread ban on gambling/betting sponsorships on the front of team shirts, but will still be allowed to showcase logos on sleeves, training kits, and other areas.

Belgian clubs pushed back against the decision when it was announced in December, citing concerns over lost revenues. The betting industry has traditionally paid more for sponsorship deals than other sectors, a pattern seen globally, not just in Belgium.

This has also been a main argument against the ban from Premier League clubs.

However, both the KSA and the Premier League have responded to growing concerns from fans and various organisations about the overwhelming presence of gambling ads in the sport.

Last September, a report from the University of Bristol highlighted these worries about gambling marketing increasingly targeting football fans across multiple platforms, including TV, radio, and social media during live match broadcasts and news coverage.

During one weekend alone, nearly 30,000 gambling messages (29,145) were recorded, nearly three times the 10,999 messages seen during the same period the previous year.

The uptick in these gambling-related adverts may be a direct consequence of clubs rushing to sign deals ahead of the ban taking effect.

This urgency to secure deals has led to some clubs partnering with questionable betting firms without conducting thorough checks. For example, Leicester‘s main sponsor, an online sportsbook and casino BC.GAME was reported to have lost its licence in November.

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