Federal Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden has criticised sports clubs for failing to use the lengthy transition period for the gambling advertising ban to find alternative sponsors.
Verlinden's (CD&V) reaction was a response to a report in De Standaard, which said gambling companies are setting up alternative websites to circumvent the ban.
According to the newspaper, firms such as Circus and Unibet operate news and media sites that allow them to continue advertising under those names in sports stadiums.
Verlinden’s office said it is for the Gambling Commission to decide whether advertising under these alternative names breaches the rules.
Advertising for games of chance is already banned in stadiums, while a ban on shirt sponsorship by gambling companies will take effect in 2028.
Until then, such sponsorship remains permitted under strict conditions. For example, logos may be no larger than 72 square centimetres and cannot appear on the front of shirts.
Verlinden’s office said it was particularly regrettable that sports clubs, among others, were not using the generous 4.5-year transition period to seek other sponsors.
It said this showed a lack of social responsibility, especially towards vulnerable groups at risk of gambling addiction.
