Belgian Sports Sector Prepares Lawsuit Against Ban on Gambling Ads

Belgium’s Ministry of Justice and the country’s leading sports organizations are at odds over the Federal Government’s proposal to ban gambling advertisements. According to The Brussels Times, the sports sector plans to take legal action against the ban.

Representatives from the country’s football, hockey, and basketball federations have collectively expressed their disapproval of the measures, which would ban gambling advertising on TV channels, radio stations, cinemas, magazines, newspapers, and public spaces.

Sports officials claim that this move will cause significant revenue loss for the sector. As a result, they’re seeking legal support to establish a “strong legal framework” for betting, including “clear agreements” for its promotion.

Moreover, the sports organizations’ chiefs have voiced their dissatisfaction with the government’s failure to invite them to participate in discussions regarding the planned changes in advertising legislation in the gambling industry.

In response, Belgium’s Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne stated that this opposition and threat of legal action had not surprised him, as “the gambling industry has always fought against any measure to protect gambling addicts, who represent 40% of the industry’s profits”.

Van Quickenborne is confident that the ban on gambling ads will survive any legal procedures. He points to similar restrictive measures in other European countries, such as Spain and Italy, to back up his claims.
The ban on gambling advertising is expected to take effect in Belgium on July 1 of this year, making the spread of gambling advertisements impossible.