It’s not just the United Kingdom that is wrestling with the issue of allowing sports gambling assets and logos to appear on sports teams’ shirts and stadia. In fact, Belgium recently proposed a blanket ban on gambling advertisement in the context of sports, including traditional partnerships between sports clubs and gambling firms that seek to display their logos on sleeves and player shirts.

BetFIRST’s Logos to Be Visible on Player Shirts

Whether this ban will actually take effect is still unclear, but online sportsbook betFIRST has signed a partnership with Royal Antwerp, a Division A soccer club, showing all defiance at the prospect of this measure. The deal is signed with a remarkably long period and will start in the upcoming 2022-23 and then run in the next five years unless a ban is indeed rolled in.

BetFIRST and Royal Antwerp will focus on promoting their products through digital channels and the sportsbook’s logo will be visible on Royal Antwerp’s player shirts.

There will be numerous social media initiatives and campaigns to boost each brand’s visibility and presence with soccer fans. Commenting on this partnership, Royal Antwerp COO Dirk Van Oekelen said:

We are extremely proud to have achieved one of the biggest sponsorship deals in the club’s history with BetFirst. We are excited to introduce our Red and White community to the different aspects of this unique partnership.

Royal Antwerp COO Dirk Van Oekelen

The news was equally welcomed by betFIRST CMO Timothy Mastelinck who said that the partnership is a logical step and the company seeks to further invest in sports and society. The club, Mastelinck said, is well-aligned with the sportsbook’s own commitment to social responsibility.

However, this ambitious partnership may come to a premature end should there be a decision by the government to completely suspend gambling advertisements, which will undoubtedly apply to sports partnerships with gambling firms.