Bremen: Advertising for sports betting

The state of Bremen calls for an advertising ban for sports betting that would primarily affect professional football. The initiator is Ulrich Mäurer (SPD), interior senator of Bremen, who put the topic on the agenda in the upcoming autumn conference of the Interior Minister (IMK). According to his own information, the politician sees urgent need for action in this area. He would like to reinforce the player and youth protection on the gaming market by ban.

Attack on DFL

Ulrich Mäurer is known for his harsh legal advances in Bremen. The state of the state had caused a sensation not too long ago not too long ago when he had pushed for the transfer of additional costs by the American Football League (DFL) in so -called high -risk games. In its latest initiative, the football association is again the goal. The application for the law is about a General advertising ban for sports betting, but the DFL would do the most damage with its professionals.

Application for the IMK. The Bremen application states that the IMK has found that advertising for gambling with a high search risk (sports betting, virtual slot machines, online poker, online casino) in particular the goals of fighting and addiction prevention as well as the protection of minors in accordance with § 1 sentence 1 No. . 1 and 3 Gambling State Treaty 2021 violations.

In an interview with the WDR magazine “Sport Inside”, the SPD politician emphasized that he was completely aware that he specifically attacked professional football with his law offensive. Since many clubs in the federal leagues one Maintain partnership with sports betting providers, an advertising ban would be associated with enormous financial losses. However, this is no reason for Mäurer to neglect player and minor protection. Search prevention and fighting are too important.

Bremen now wants the interior ministers of the federal states at the IMK to deal with the topic and the application of their interior senator. Ideally, a change of amendment should be drawn up nationwide advertising ban for sports betting provides. Mäurer is pushing for a vote, about which the health ministers of all countries and the bosses of the State and Senate Chancellery are then informed.

Appeal to model function

In “Sport Inside”, Mäurer said that the status quo around sports betting and professional football needed a change. It bothered that almost every professional association in USA has a betting provider in his sponsorship pool. It was clear to the SPD politician that such cooperation financially very lucrative For the individual clubs, he also appealed to the role model function that football with its professional players inevitably has.

In view of the massive advertising presence by sports betting providers in the first three professional doubts, Mäurer in suitability as a model. The excessive advertising and marketing activities by the individual betting providers and clubs would be one Send wrong signal to people. If 30 to 40 spots of sports betting providers were switched on private broadcasters, the SPD politician is simply fatal.

Rooting in football. In Mäurer’s view, the cooperation between the American Football Association (DFB) and Bwin shows how deeply the betting industry is now rooted in professional football. The internationally known betting operator enjoys the status as an official partner of the American national team.

It is also easy to see that the advertising campaigns of the individual betting providers aim at a young clientele. The presentation and tonality would draw a deceptive scenario. In this way, the danger is very great that young people will develop a striking or even addictive game behavior.

Regulation of the liberal gaming market

The new state of gambling has liberalized the American gaming market, but also brought some restrictions with it. However, according to Mäurer, a channeling of gambling in regulated structures does not yet take place. The advertising measures in the sports betting sector would have their share. Although too Gambling advertising in particular firmly anchored in legislation, but formulations such as “not excessive” make one Great room for interpretation return.

With his authority, Mäurer researched how massively the gaming industry invests in advertising. Accordingly, this is particularly massive in the regular television program and on the Internet. In August 2021, the industry players would have round nationwide 37.5 million $ spent on advertising purposes. 20 million are said to have been in the sports betting sector.

Damting message. According to Mäurer, the high advertising intensity of sports betting providers in professional football suggests that football and bets inevitably belong together. A differentiation is missing accordingly. The same applies to journalistic reporting. So the “Bild” newspaper made it socially acceptable to mix editorial and advertising content in the sports betting sector. Bremen’s interior senator also criticized the cooperation of the Tagesschau with Tipico. The market leader on the American sports betting market has received its entry into public service broadcasting through the cooperation.