Bingoal stops as name sponsor of Belgian cycling team
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13 Nov 2024 •
Reading time: 2 minutes It is now official: as of 1 January 2025, Bingoal will stop as name sponsor of the Belgian cycling team Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal. The reason? A new law in Belgium that prohibits gambling sponsorship in sports. As a result, many sports teams, including cycling and football teams, have to look for new financial backers. For Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal, this means that they have to find a new sponsor in a short period of time.
Other teams and football clubs agave the same problem
The ban does not only affect cycling. In the football world, clubs are also busy thinking about how to continue without their gambling-related sponsors. The Gaming Commission is keeping a close eye on this and is looking into whether sneaky ways are being used to circumvent the ban. One example is the use of foundations, sponsored by gambling companies, as alternative sponsors on shirts.
Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal finds temporary solution
Jurgen Mettepenningen, the team’s team manager, announced on Wednesday that they have found a temporary solution. The fruit and vegetable company Cibel will step in as a sponsor for six months. After that period, the team hopes to present a new main sponsor. They have their eye on a company from the football world, but who exactly that is, remains a secret for now.
Bingoal still remains somewhat involved
Although Bingoal is stopping as a name sponsor, they will still remain connected to the team. They will continue as a co-sponsor, despite the new legislation. This means that they will not disappear completely from the picture.
Bingoal and Bas Tietema have previously appeared in court
This is not the first time that Bingoal has come under fire. In the past, the company sponsored the cycling team of the Dutch influencer and cyclist Bas Tietema, Tour de Tietema. But in October 2022, that came to an end due to another ban, namely that on the use of role models in gambling advertisements. This led to a lawsuit in which Bingoal demanded €2 million from Tietema for breach of contract. However, the judge sided with Tietema.
Bingoal maintained that Tour de Tietema had not terminated the contract properly and demanded another €71,000 plus interest. However, this demand was also rejected by the court due to changed rules in the Netherlands.