Spain bans gambling ads on football shirts

Spain’s La Liga football clubs will no longer be permitted to wear the logos and slogans of online gambling companies next season, according to a report in the national newspaper El Pais.

Alberto Garzón, minister of consumer affairs, has proposed new and draconian measures to toughen up regulations on betting companies. The plan includes the banning of sponsorship agreements and advertising.

This season, eight top football clubs – Valencia, Alavés, Leganés, Granada, Mallorca, Sevilla, Osasuna and Levante – have a gambling company as the main shirt sponsor.

Spain has issued a royal decree on advertising that at present permits a four-hour advertising slot, between 1am and 5am, for betting companies on television, the radio or video streaming. It also bans gambling companies from sponsoring stadium names. There is also a ban on celebrities fronting betting advertising. The bill should be in place before the start of the 2020/21 La Liga season, after approval by the EU in Brussels.