Betano sponsors EURO 2028 as Belgium continues to scale back gambling sponsorship 

Betano will become an official sponsor of the UEFA European Championship in 2028. Parent company Kaizen Gaming is thereby extending its partnership with UEFA. For Belgian football fans, the announcement comes with a notable backdrop: the tournament will take place in the same year that the transitional arrangement for gambling sponsorship of professional sports clubs in Belgium comes to an end. 

The agreement was announced on 7 October 2026. Betano previously sponsored EURO 2024 and is also linked to the Europa League and Conference League. With the new contract, the brand retains a place on one of the biggest international football stages. 

For Belgium, this raises a relevant question. How does such an international sponsorship deal fit with a country that is sharply restricting the visibility of gambling companies in sport? 

From EURO 2024 to a new European Championship 

The new partnership was confirmed at the Kaizen Campus in Athens. UEFA was represented by general secretary Theodoros Theodoridis and marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein. Kaizen Gaming was represented by co-founder and CEO George Daskalakis and chief commercial officer Julio Iglesias Hernando. 

At EURO 2024, Betano became the first sports betting operator to officially sponsor the European Championship for men’s national teams. This was followed by an agreement covering the Europa League and Conference League from the 2024/25 season through to 2026/27. 

The EURO deal is therefore a continuation of an existing relationship. UEFA highlights the partnership around football and the fan experience. Kaizen Gaming presents the agreement as the next step following its cooperation during the previous European Championship. The announcement appears in the official Kaizen Gaming news section. 

No value for the sponsorship contract is mentioned in the announcement. The precise form of any campaigns aimed at Belgium is also not yet clear. 

Nine stadiums, eight host cities 

EURO 2028 will take place from 9 June to 9 July 2028. Matches will be played in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, across nine stadiums in eight cities. 

The tournament will open in Cardiff. The semi-finals and final will be played at Wembley in London. Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham are among the other host cities. 

For Belgian supporters, the tournament will become especially interesting if the Red Devils qualify. Their participation is, of course, not yet certain at the time of this sponsorship announcement. For Betano, meanwhile, the European Championship offers an opportunity to associate its brand with an event followed far beyond the host countries. 

Belgium is increasingly restricting gambling sponsorship 

Belgian rules make that international visibility far from straightforward. Since 1 July 2023, far-reaching restrictions on gambling advertising have been in force. A transitional arrangement was introduced for sports sponsorship, which became significantly stricter from 1 January 2025. 

Gambling Club previously explained the Belgian restrictions on sports sponsorship by gambling companies. Advertising boards and other gambling advertising in Belgian stadiums are prohibited. Until the end of 2027, a limited mention on sports clothing remains possible under certain conditions: a maximum of 75 cm² and not on the front. 

From 1 January 2028, that exception will also end for professional sports clubs. A limited possibility will remain for amateur sports clubs. It would therefore be too broad to say that every form of sports sponsorship by gambling companies will disappear in Belgium from 2028. 

A foreign sponsor logo is not a Belgian advertising licence 

An international sponsorship agreement does not automatically give a gambling company permission to advertise in Belgium. A campaign aimed at Belgian consumers must comply separately with Belgian rules. 

At the same time, Belgium’s advertising restrictions do not mean that every broadcast of foreign sport must be entirely free of gambling logos. Under certain conditions, the rules allow incidental advertising in coverage of foreign events. That distinction is relevant for a European Championship taking place outside Belgium. 

The announcement does not yet show exactly how visible Betano will be to Belgian viewers during EURO 2028. That will depend on the specific sponsorship assets, broadcasts and any local campaigns. 

The debate over brand visibility has been ongoing for some time. Gambling Club previously reported on alternative sponsor brands on Belgian football shirts. That case shows how important the distinction between a sports brand and indirect gambling promotion has become. 

Responsible gambling remains a separate responsibility 

Kaizen Gaming says it intends to pay attention to responsible gambling during the tournament. Whether that commitment is meaningful will ultimately depend on the concrete measures taken. Sponsorship status in itself says nothing about compliance with Belgian advertising rules or the conditions attached to individual player promotions. 

Gambling Club previously examined questions surrounding sports betting and promotions in Belgium, including a Betano promotion. The operator defended the compliance of its campaigns; no final ruling by the Belgian Gaming Commission on the promotion discussed was mentioned. 

The new EURO agreement shows that gambling companies continue to invest internationally in football. At the same time, the room for that commercial presence in Belgium is becoming smaller. EURO 2028 will therefore become a concrete example of how an international sponsorship strategy must adapt to national rules.