Game over for gambling sponsorship in Dutch sport as ban comes into effect
The ban on gambling sponsorship for sports clubs and competitions in the Netherlands is now active, completing a two-year process of gambling marketing restrictions being implemented in the country.
The sponsorship prohibition, beginning 1 July, includes not just shirt sponsorships, but also promotional deals with competitions, teams and individual athletes.
In 2023, the Netherlands government announced a series of restrictions on gambling marketing that would be implemented gradually.
The first phase was introduced on 1 July 2023, where untargeted gambling advertising was banned via most media channels. This included television, radio, newspapers and magazines. The ban was later extended to advertising in public places, such as billboards, bus shelters and buildings that are accessible by the public.
This was taken a step further on 1 July 2024 when programme and event sponsorship was added to the list of prohibited marketing areas.
Sports clubs and competitions have been aware of the impending sponsorship ban since 2023 when the series of restrictions were announced. At that time, a ban was placed on signing new contracts with online casinos and online gambling operators after 1 July 2023. Existing contracts were allowed to run past that date.
In May, Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit made clear to operators it will be extremely vigilant against violations of the new sponsorship rules, warning it will take “immediate enforcement action” against any operators found to be in breach of the regulations.
Eurojackpot provokes questions
Shortly before the ban on sponsorships in sport was enforced, transnational lottery operator Eurojackpot was announced as the main sponsor for Dutch football competition the KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association) Cup and the Women’s Premier League for five years. Eurojackpot was also last week confirmed as a sleeve sponsor for Dutch Eredivisie football club FC Twente until 2030.
Eurojackpot is part of the Dutch Lottery, of which the state is a shareholder. Lotteries are exempt from the sponsorship ban. From the start of the 2025-26 football season, VriendenLoterij, a health-focused Dutch lottery company, will hold title sponsorship of the Eredivisie until 2029.
Parliamentary members recently questioned if Eurojackpot’s sponsorship of the KNVB Cup is in violation of the ban, hinting it is “highly undesirable” despite being compliant with the letter of the law.
A trend of restrictions
The Dutch online gambling market was opened up to international and private domestic operators in 2021, but this has been followed by a number of regulatory changes and not just in terms of advertising. In October 2024, new protection measures were enforced, including a net deposit threshold of €700 in a calendar month, along with the requirement for operators to show pop-up messages every 30 minutes to highlight how long someone has been playing.
A ban on online slots is also set to come into effect. In April 2024, a majority of 79 MPs voted in favour of a motion focusing on “online gambling with a demonstrably very high risk”, which would include online slots. Despite the vote being in favour of the ban, it has not yet become official law.