German authorities clash with German Football Association over gambling ads

German gambling supervisors have sent a sharply worded letter to the German Football Association (DFB) over the prevalence of advertisements of gambling companies in German football.

The million-dollar contracts of gambling providers as advertising partners in German football have prompted the letter. It must be noted that the DFB recently made an extensive partnership with Bwin public.

In the letter to the DFB, the reporters of NDR and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” is available, it says: “Your partner Bwin offers in addition to sports betting, unfortunately, even without permission to participate in online casino and slot games.”

The Ministry of the Interior of Baden-Württemberg, which drafted the letter in agreement with the other countries, further states: “The relevant case-law leaves no room for doubt as to the illegality of such offers” and “advertising for unauthorized gambling is prohibited. The gambling supervisory authorities must work to prevent illegal gambling and advertising. ” If the DFB continues to promote Bwin in the future, “there is a risk that the advertising of Bwin is prohibited altogether.”

The prohibition of cooperation with gambling providers would cost the clubs and the DFB millions. A possible compromise could be that the DFB bypasses the umbrella brand advertising and makes clear in its advertising messages that they only refer to a part of Bwin’s offer, namely sports betting. How such a solution would look concrete, however, is unclear.