A Dutch soccer club has withdrawn its proposed advertising after receiving a warning from the Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa). The club wants to display a life-size image of the club captain on a prominent building in the city. Because the club has a sponsorship contract with an online gaming provider and the players in the image wear shirts with the provider's logo, the Ksa said publishing the image would constitute an infringement. The soccer club subsequently decided not to implement its plans.

Sponsorship or gambling advertiing

Both bookmakers and soccer clubs believe that this is sports sponsorship. Ksa concluded that the case was not related to sports sponsorship, but rather to untargeted advertising for online gambling games. Sports sponsorship involves a neutral reference by the sponsor to the logo or name of the licensee, for example on the sportswear of a professional athlete. Furthermore, in sports sponsorship it is important to refer in a neutral way to the direct relationship between the logo or name of the licensee, the practice of the sport and the location where the sport is played.