It will be banned from January 1, but no club is prepared for it

From January 1, the presence of logos of gaming and betting companies will be prohibited on the front of jerseys.

Few of the clubs concerned have found new sponsors.

Belgian professional clubs are highly dependent on sponsorship from gaming and sports betting companies: 19 of the 29 members of the Pro League, including Club Bruges and Charleroi (Unibet), Anderlecht (Napoléon), Antwerp (Betfirst ), the Standard (Circus), the Cercle de Bruges (Golden Palace), Oud-Heverlee Louvain, Dender and the Beerschot (Star Casino) indeed display a logo of one of these brands on the front of their jersey.

But such a presence on jerseys will now be banned, just as it will be within stadiums.

Clubs will still be able to affix the logo of a sports betting company on their jerseys, but without a slogan, on a surface which cannot exceed 75 cm² and only on the sleeves or the back of the jersey, until December 31, 2027 ,

A real challenge since this sponsorship represents around twenty million euros in revenue per season and, over the next five seasons, the windfall from TV rights will be reduced by at least 10% following the new media contract signed a year ago. ten days.

While the clubs have had time to anticipate – the publication of the royal decree dates from July 1, 2023 –, however, few have found new sponsors, analyzes Jean-François (Litter) in a survey published this Monday (https://tinyurl.com/43wftmsy).

Only Anderlecht and Lokeren anticipated

In the Jupiler Pro League, only Sporting Anderlecht has formalized a three-year partnership with a new sponsor: the tour operator Sunweb, which already appeared on the jerseys in the European Cup this fall.

Lokeren, who plays one division lower, in the Challenger Pro League, also indicated that Jam Group (telecom services) will replace Betfirst on its jerseys.

This inaction may be surprising, but clubs have long relied on the royal decree which leaves room for interpretation.

In particular the possibility of displaying a logo and/or the brand of an activity other than games of chance but linked to these same companies such as, for example, applications broadcasting information on matches.

“I will be brief: it is prohibited”

But both the Gambling Commission and Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt have indicated that such circumvention would be banned, and that the legislation would be strictly enforced.

“I will be brief: it is prohibited,” declared the minister in the House justice committee.

Further proof that the competitiveness of Belgian sport on the international scene is the least of our public authorities’ concerns.

No one ever got addicted to the game because of their idol’s jersey…

It remains to be seen whether certain clubs will display jerseys devoid of any logo while awaiting a hypothetical partnership with new sponsors for next season.

It is essential for Belgian clubs, the majority of which are in the red, to compensate for this shortfall by finding other partners.

The Union not concerned

Remember that the National Lottery, which sponsors the Union Saint-Gilloise, is not affected by this ban, the public operator being supposed to channel the public towards lottery games considered less addictive (it is prohibited to see other less noble reasons, or to laugh about it!).

“However, there are solutions to compensate for this loss and it is not too late,” wants to play down Jérôme Bouchat, commercial director of the consultant Nielsen Sport.

“Many big brands are not active in sponsorship. No less than half of the twenty largest advertising advertisers in the country do not,” assures this market expert.