• Mon. Jan 13th, 2025

North East Connected

Hopping Across The North East From Hub To Hub

Regulatory Shifts in Sports Gambling Partnerships: France’s New Approach and Its Implications

ByDave Stopher

Aug 7, 2024

Big football leagues around Europe are gradually taking steps to distance themselves from online betting and online casinos, with a growing number looking to outright ban gambling companies from sponsoring teams as their front-of-shirt sponsor.

Ligue 1 is the latest competition to make steps in block gambling companies, as the Autorite Nationale des Jeux has unveiled a range of new regulations that are designed to strengthen the relationship, which includes prohibiting role models in marketing campaigns in the hope of increasing the number of underage bettors and casinos online.

The competition’s decision is likely to have an impact on the success enjoyed by gambling companies in France. But what could the future look like, and how do the regulations in France differ from those that have been brought in elsewhere in Europe, particularly regarding sports betting online Singapore?

The competition’s decision is likely to have an impact on the success enjoyed by gambling companies in France. But what could the future look like, and how do the regulations in France differ from those that have been brought in elsewhere in Europe?

 

What Do The New Measures Entail?

The new measures are a direct response to the study that has been conducted by the Ministry of Sports and General Directorate of Health, which has found that the increased number of gambling ads associated with action in France is having a negative impact on both problem gamblers and also attracting underage residents to make bets on the action.

The main argument by the governing bodies is that the use of Ligue 1 stars in advertising for betting and online casino marketing is having a direct impact on the younger demographics getting involved in gambling from a young age.

However, the rules that must be followed will differ depending on the role model in question, as those with 16% of followers aged between 13 and 17 will no longer be able to post anything gambling-related.

As well as this, the measures also mean that betting or online casino operators will no longer be found as the front-of-shirt sponsor for teams in kids’ sizes, with the sponsor only set to be visible on the shirts of adults who are able to bet or play in casinos.

Ligue 1 Follows Premier League Decision

The ban on gambling companies in the sport of football is gathering pace in recent years, with France joining the likes of Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom in restricting the visibility of betting and online casino companies surrounding the product. The Premier League announced plans to change to their rules in 2023 following talks with the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport.

It is the latest step by the British government in steps to review gambling legislation within the country. Premier League clubs collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsors on their front of matchday shirts, and in the process, it saw the league become the first in the world to take an extreme stance. However, any positives from this decision aren’t likely to be seen for at least another couple of years, as betting and online casino companies will still be visible on the fronts of shirts until at least the start of the 2026-27 season.

But others argue that the stance isn’t strong enough. Gambling companies will still be able to sponsor teams in the competition, as they could take up space on the sides of shirts or even sponsor training kits, which will be evident during the warm-ups.

Why Is It A Big Issue?

Gambling companies and their sponsorship of major football teams have been a prominent trend throughout the modern era of the sport. The move for the companies to buy space on the front of shirts gives them massive financial benefits, which can be seen by the number of customers that can see the sponsor before signing up for accounts.

However, major sportsbooks such as Bet365 aren’t necessarily the problem when it comes to sponsorship by gambling companies, as the bigger issues have been raised following the emergence of unknown Asian companies buying space on some of the biggest teams in the world. Typically, these sportsbooks will be unregulated and will have very little foothold within the sector, meaning that they could be extremely dangerous for those who are signing up for accounts.

But when we are talking about betting companies and online casinos, you can find in the list of new online casinos in France on the informational and online casinos and bookmakers review portal JouerEnLigne for French-language players. According to Dany Sevensa, sports columnist of JouerEnLigne and online casino expert, these gambling companies guarantee excellent services – simplicity of registration, quality of customer service, or even security and speed of transactions and withdrawals of winnings. But they are all also subject to a sponsorship ban, along with suspicious Asian companies.

Conclusion

The clamp down on betting or online casino sponsorships is widely considered to be the best move by Ligue 1, as they follow in the footsteps of the Premier League. Protecting consumers is vitally important for the biggest football competitions on the planet, and given the young demographic of viewers, the outlawing of gambling sponsors being visible is no bad thing.

However, sports betting and online casinos will continue to be a prominent source of enjoyment for the majority of fans that follow the sport, as the new regulations won’t alter the bets that can be made on football.