Operators blast call for ban on gambling ads in Germany

The sports betting trade association DSWV has criticised Bremen interior minister Ulrich Mäurer’s proposal to ban all gambling ads.

Germany.- Operators have reacted after Bremen’s Interior Minister Ulrich Mäurer said he would put forward a proposal for a complete ban on gambling advertising at the conference of federal states’ interior ministers next month. Mäurer has said he believes a ban would help prevent gambling addiction and protect minors.

He has criticised football clubs for partnering with betting companies, claiming that they were benefitting from a sector that was “particularly harmful to society”. He argues that young people in particular were at risk from the exposure that sponsorship deals created.

The DSWV has said it was astonished by the suggestion and argued that advertising was key in helping customers to differentiate between legal from illegal gambling operators.

DSWV president Mathias Dahms said: “Since there are still many illegal operators active on the German market, advertising for licensed providers is vital. How else can citizens differentiate between safe and unsafe offers? 

“Through years of negotiations, the federal states have found a good balance between making legal gambling visible to the public and addressing concerns around youth and player protection. We assume that the Conference of Interior Ministers will be bound by the resolutions of all 16 state parliaments on the State Treaty on Gambling.

“The state must not give the impression that it is measuring with double standards and that it wants to give preference to its own gambling products. After all, all holders of a German gaming licence – both state-owned and private – have been extensively checked by the authorities for their reliability and performance. 

“This also applies in particular to their advertising strategies. Advertising for illegal providers is prohibited by law, enforcement agencies should focus on enforcing this.”

See also: Gambling brands still dominate European football sponsorship