Italy’s soccer league worried over gambling ad ban
More than half of the clubs in Serie A have a sponsorship deal with a betting company.
Italy.- The governing body of Italy’s top soccer league, Serie A, released a statement in which it expressed its concern regarding the new ban on gambling advertising that will come into force on January 1st, 2019.
The ban will be applied to gambling products and services advertised on the internet, radio and television, as well as stopping clubs from obtaining gambling sponsors. The only operators exempt from the ban are the state-run national lottery and its products.
“The Lega Serie A is following with extreme worry the developments of the “Decreto Legge Dignita” and the impact on Italian football of rules which ban advertising from betting firms,” said the governing body of the league. “In highlighting the clear disparity compared to other countries in Europe and the world, where such bans don’t exist, and showing the negative consequences of such a measure, the Lega Serie A points out that in the 2017-18 season 12 top-flight clubs had a partnership agreement with companies from the betting sector.”
The league believes that clubs could lose millions worth of sponsorship with this ban, jeopardising their finances. EGBA, the body that represents privately owned European online betting and gaming operators, said to the AP that gambling operators contribute approximately 120 million euros to sponsor sports teams and leagues in the country.
The Serie A also added that it is ready to discuss with all parties involved in hope that they can make amendments to the current decree and find common ground so their finances won’t be affected and the country can proceed with its measures to prevent gambling addiction.
EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer told AP: “We would also question the practicality of introducing a total ban on advertising as a result of the cross-border nature of the Internet and television. Italian citizens will continue to see gambling advertising, except that those ads will advertise websites that are not licensed in Italy.”
“One of the important benefits of gambling advertising is that it directs Italian customers towards those gambling operators who are licensed to operate and comply with the rules in Italy,” said Haijer.
