Belgium’s gambling regulator is looking into how several top soccer teams in the country are working around the new ban on gambling sponsors. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

While teams in Belgium’s top soccer league were banned in January from having gambling companies as their primary sponsors, some have found ways to circumvent the rule.

Clubs in the Jupiler Pro League can no longer feature operators on the front of their shirts, and logos can’t be larger than 75cm² if they appear elsewhere on their kit. This ban aims to reduce the number of times fans see pro-gambling messaging while watching games.

now featuring entities with links to their gambling partners in an attempt to get around the ban

However, several teams are now advertising entities with links to their gambling partners in an attempt to get around the ban, such as showing the logos of foundations, news sites, and support groups.

Club Brugge are the defending champions, and they had a deal with Unibet prior to the ban. Instead of advertising Unibet, Club Brugge now showcases the operator’s sports news app named U-Expert on the front of shirts, with Charleroi doing the same.

The BetFirst-backed AntwerpFirst foundation appears on Royal Antwerp’s jerseys, and the Circus Daily news site, which directs people to the Circus sportsbook, is on Standard Liège’s kit.

The country’s gambling regulator is now investigating these workarounds, which could result in fines and license suspensions. Regarding the recent trend, Gent University Sports Management professor Bram Constandt told Inside World Football that using these tactics shows that certain teams and gambling operators “don’t really care about the legislation.”