Advertising loopholes targeted in Belgium 

Calls for tougher rules on gambling advertising are growing in Belgium. Despite recent restrictions, experts believe that operators continue to circumvent the ban, notably through sport, spin-off brands and digital channels. 

Visibility that persists despite the bans 

In Belgium, gambling advertising has not disappeared; it has simply changed form. Whilst the authorities have adopted several measures in recent years aimed at limiting its presence, campaigns linked to brands owned by gambling operators continue to appear in public spaces. Some are even visible in the vicinity of schools, fuelling concerns amongst prevention specialists and researchers. 

The debate has intensified with recent major sporting events, notably the World Cup. These competitions offer operators massive exposure, whether direct or indirect. Rules do exist, but their limitations become apparent as soon as the sector finds a new way to maintain its presence in the public eye. 

For experts at the Flemish Centre of Expertise on Alcohol and Other Drugs, as well as researchers at Ghent University, the conclusion is clear: the current restrictions are no longer sufficient. They are now calling for a total ban on gambling-related advertising and sponsorship, with no grey areas or loopholes. 

Sport: the ideal showcase for operators 

For Katleen Peleman, director of the Flemish Centre of Expertise on Alcohol and Other Drugs, the link between gambling and sport is a particularly powerful marketing tool. The association with popular competitions and clubs allows the sector to build a positive, unifying and wholesome image, whilst the risks associated with gambling are pushed into the background. 

This strategy is not based solely on traditional advertising. It also works through association. When a brand linked to an operator is visible in a sporting context, the public may come to see this presence as a normal part of the experience of the match, the club or the competition.  

Sport reaches a very wide audience, including young people and vulnerable individuals. In this context, even an indirect presence can contribute to normalising sports betting and other forms of gambling. 

Stricter rules, but still insufficient 

The Belgian federal government tightened the regulations on gambling advertising with a Royal Decree adopted in 2023, followed by a legislative amendment in 2024. 

Sports sponsorship has also been subject to stricter regulations. Since 2025, gambling advertising has disappeared from stadiums. However, an exception remains for sports shirts: limited branding by an operator is still permitted under strict conditions. This transitional measure is also set to be phased out for professional clubs from 2028. 

For researchers and prevention specialists, these changes have not succeeded in putting an end to the public’s exposure to gambling-related messages. Operators continue to seek ways to remain visible, using spin-off brands, sponsorship deals, creative campaigns or digital channels. Furthermore, the number of new online gamblers continues to rise. 

Spin-off brands: a new loophole in the system 

One of the most hotly debated mechanisms concerns spin-off brands. Several gambling operators now run websites presented as sports news platforms. These sites use the same brand name or a very similar identity, then redirect visitors to the gambling platforms run by the same company. 

Researcher Katho Jacobs, from Ghent University, describes this process as ‘substitute advertising’. A legal product serves as a promotional channel for a strictly regulated product. The advertising message therefore no longer always takes the form of an explicit invitation to gamble. Instead, it is conveyed through a brand’s image, a media presence or sports-related content. 

Research carried out at Ghent University shows, however, that sports fans do understand this mechanism. They readily associate these spin-off brands with the original gambling brands and perceive them as part of the same whole, with the same objective. If the public makes the connection, the advertising effect exists, even when the communication takes a different form. 

A public health issue 

The World Health Organisation recommends treating gambling as a public health issue, on a par with tobacco and alcohol. This approach involves reducing the visibility and accessibility of gambling products, particularly where their promotion may affect vulnerable groups. 

For researchers and those working in the field of prevention, this approach must guide Belgian policy. They advocate the introduction of a comprehensive legal framework banning all forms of gambling-related advertising and sponsorship. Such a ban would prevent the use of brands, associated platforms or related initiatives as indirect channels of promotion. 

Katleen Peleman emphasises that gambling products and digital marketing practices are evolving faster than research and legislation. It is essential to look to the future and draw up rules capable of preventing circumvention strategies, rather than intervening each time after the event.