Belgian media up in arms over gambling advertising ban
Coalition of firms call for restricted marketing and a focus on RG as it claims blanket ban will have a major impact on consumers and sport
A collection of leading Belgian media outlets have slammed the proposed gambling ad ban as “disastrous” for consumers.
In an open letter, the Belgian Federation of Audiovisual Media, Flemish News Media, We MEDIA and LaPresse all slammed the decision from the government to usher in the ban.
Under the new legislation, advertising will be banned on television and radio, in cinemas, magazines and newspapers as well as all public spaces from 1 July.
From 1 January 2025, the ban will extend to advertising in stadiums.
Then, from 1 January 2028, gambling firms will no longer be able to sponsor professional sports teams.
The signatories claimed the regulation is set to go ahead without proper consultation of the media sector, or taking on the advice of the Belgian Gaming Commission.
The media bodies said the ban would lead to a rise in black-market leakage and an increase in gambling-related harm without signposts towards legal options.
The open letter read: “The impact on the Belgian consumer has, meanwhile, been disastrous. The advertising ban on classic media will lead to an overload of online advertising as it can hardly be curbed. And it is precisely online that the consumer is most often confronted with an abundance of illegal providers.
“In addition, Belgian media will also see crucial revenues disappear, as a result of which all relevant sports competitions will be behind the paywall, and/or it will no longer be possible to invest in sports reporting.”
The group went on to note it wants to “drastically limit advertising” by legal gambling operators but that the practice still needed to exist in the country.
The open letter also called for a proposal for a self-regulatory framework overseen by gambling and media regulators.
The letter continued: “We wish to drastically limit advertising in terms of volume, time of broadcast and content of the messages. In this way, the consumer will be guided to the legal offer without the advertising leading to addiction.
“In addition, the Belgian media wish to focus on warning messages that must be included in every advertising message. The media want to develop this in consultation with the Gaming Commission.”
The signatories also said they would invest into awareness campaigns around gambling-related harm as part of its challenge to the blanket ban.