Betting Sponsors Banned in LaLiga Santander Until June 21

The LaLiga Santander teams who have betting companies as sponsors have to hide or remove sponsor names from their shirts during the first three matchdays of the season’s restart.

Leganes, Valencia, Sevilla, Osasuna, Levante, Alaves, Granada and Real Mallorca all have betting companies as their main sponsors, while many others have betting logos elsewhere on their shirts. Under Article 37 of the Royal Decree of the State of Emergency in Spain, the advertising of gambling is banned.

Gambling and betting ads can only be shown between the hours of 1:00 and 5:00 in the morning. Spain’s State of Emergency, introduced as part of the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, runs until June 21. That means these regulations on gambling advertising will remain in place until that date. Between now and then, LaLiga Santander teams will play three games each.

With many of its clubs reliant on income from betting sponsors, LaLiga is working on resolving this issue, but it depends on the government’s Minister of Consumer Affairs.

“The government approved the banning of gambling advertising in March in order to protect the most vulnerable people during lockdown. The overexposure to this sort of advertisement threatened to generate a public health problem. As the risk decreases and always considering the maximum criteria of public health, the necessary measures to advance into the new normal will be taken,” sources close to the Minister of Consumer Affairs said.

No betting logos will be allowed to be shown at all until June 21. This applies to TV broadcasts and pitchside advertising in stadiums.