The Staatsloterij’s giant advertising fish at jaarsbeursplein in Utrecht: The city is displeased
•
23 Oct 2025 •
Reading time: 2 minutes It was a remarkable scene at Jaarsbeursplein in Utrecht when the Staatsloterij launched a campaign using a giant advertising fish (known from their logo) to promote the draw on October 10, 2025. However, the municipality of Utrecht reacted with dismay to this scene due to the increase in gambling addiction.
The Staatsloterij is a subsidiary of the Nederlandse Loterij and is known for its enormous prize pools.
New advertising campaign devised by marketing and events agency
Brand New Live, a marketing and events agency, decided to go all out for the draw and placed a Staatsloterij advertising fish on Jaarsbeursplein in Utrecht. A place where many people pass by, as this square is located near the Central Station.
This publicity stunt was no easy feat, requiring considerable productivity, strategic insight, and powerful aerial machinery to get this gigantic advertising fish to its location. It measured a whopping 33 by 22 by 17 meters! It was hard to miss.
However, this wasn’t the first time this advertising fish had been displayed. The A’DAM Tower in Amsterdam, the Koopgoot in Rotterdam, and the A4 motorway near Schiphol Airport were previously selected locations that fit their strategy.
This publicity stunt was not well received by everyone
The municipality of Utrecht is disappointed with this publicity stunt. The Utrecht Internet Newspaper (DUIC) has extensively covered the issue. Several city council groups, for example, submitted questions to Alderman Susanne Schilderman about the Staatsloterij advertising campaign.
Factions from the Utrecht City Council:
“Our city and our country are struggling with a growing number of gambling addicts. There’s really only one winner: the state’s treasury is being filled with the losses from residents advertising in public spaces for gambling companies that are desirable.”
Schilderman indicated that the municipality of Utrecht is dissatisfied with this way of advertising gambling.
Staatsloterij did nothing wrong: They applied for a permit for their advertising fish
The Staatsloterij is not to blame. Their parent company, the Nederlandse Loterij, applied for a permit for this form of advertising. And under current law, lotteries are allowed to advertise in public places. That’s why they received their permit.Nevertheless, Schilderman indicates that he will continue to explore ways to combat such forms of gambling advertising. This won’t be easy, however, as it will likely require structural reform.