Is a betting operator a suitable sponsor for the European Football Championship?

The 2024 European Football Championships will be held in Germany from 14 June to 14 July. The fact that a sports betting provider will be sponsoring the European Championships for the first time is causing a lot of criticism in the run-up to the event. But is the criticism justified and which betting provider is actually involved?

After the controversy surrounding the recent World Cup in Qatar, our upcoming 'home' European Championship has also come under fire in the run-up to the event. The reason for this is a sponsor of the event who comes from the gambling industry. The Alliance Against Sports Betting Advertising (BgSwW) has accused the organisers and authorities of "inaction", as the betting company is being accepted as a sponsor without comment.

Betano to become official sponsor of Euro 2024 in Germany

As announced a few months ago, the successful sports betting provider Betano will be the official and exclusive betting partner of UEFA EURO 2024. This is the first time that UEFA has partnered with a sports betting provider for a European football championship. A year and a half ago, Betano partnered with FIFA for the World Cup in Qatar. Betano has an official licence for sports betting and virtual slot machines in Germany, issued by the Gemeinsame Landesausschuß für Glücksspiel (GGL), and is therefore completely legal.

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UEFA and German government under fire

The Alliance against Sports Betting Advertising (BgSwW) is currently campaigning against the exclusive betting partner of the 2024 European Football Championship. Members of the alliance include the fan organisation Unsere Kurve and Transparency International Germany. They speak of "inaction on the part of the organisers" and "state authorities", meaning that vulnerable players cannot be adequately protected from the dangers of gambling. It was only a few months ago that we at GambleJoe asked ourselves whether a general ban on gambling advertising would make sense.

Indeed, it is hard to comprehend that German politicians have recently implemented and defended strict player protection measures, while gambling companies are now accepted as sponsors of prestigious sporting competitions. It was only a few weeks ago that we at GambleJoe reported on the criticism of the latest BMG study, which claimed that the number of gambling addicts had exploded.

Transparency International Germany is also concerned about the betting provider becoming an official partner, fearing that this could make sports betting socially acceptable and that "the target group of young, football-loving men in particular could be lured into gambling".

Gambling industry has highest share of shirt sponsorship in Europe

As the European football association UEFA announced last year, the gambling industry now has the highest proportion of shirt sponsorship (22%). This means that around one in five professional clubs in Europe takes to the pitch with the logo of a gambling company.

Main sponsors in European men's professional football by sector (source: UEFA):

• 22 % Gambling
• 13 % Financial services
• 9 % Retail
• 9 % Industrial goods
• 8 % Construction and property
• 7 % Tourism
• 7 % Aviation and automotive industry
• 25 % Other sectors

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/fußball-accessoire-schwarz-rot-gold-1420473/