An investigation will evaluate whether the content featuring Eden Hazard is aimed at Belgian gamblers.
Belgium. – The Belgian Gambling Commission has launched an inquiry into promotional activities related to Eden Hazard’s ambassadorial agreement with the online betting company Stake. The former Chelsea star’s posts on social media, where he has approximately 27 million followers, are being examined to see if they violate national rules by targeting the Belgian audience.
A ban on gambling advertisements in Belgium covering broadcast, print, and digital channels was introduced in July 2023. This will be extended to a complete ban on all gambling ads, including sponsorship deals, starting from January 2028.
However, Stake does not hold a Belgian gambling license and is on the regulator’s list of unauthorized operators. The Gaming Commission stated that if Hazard’s promotional content is found to have violated Belgian law, sanctions may include mandatory takedowns and administrative penalties.
Spokesperson Stefaan Savenberg said: “We will investigate to what extent the advertising is targeted at people in Belgium because that is clearly prohibited. Mr. Hazard has many Belgian followers on his Instagram page. Therefore, an investigation will need to determine whether the intention is to encourage Belgians to play on that illegal website.”
In September 2024, the minimum legal age for gambling in Belgium was raised to 21 across most sectors, aligning online gambling, sports betting, arcades, and bingo with the existing age restriction for casinos.
However, research from the Belgian Association of Gaming Operators (BAGO) has indicated that nearly half of men aged 18 to 21 have gambled on illegal sites, often discovering them through social media or sports sponsorship.
The operator in question has faced controversy over its advertising in other regions. A year ago, Stake withdrew from the UK after the British Gambling Commission placed its license under supervision due to a promotional stunt featuring a porn star outside Nottingham Trent University.
In that case, the British regulator said it was concerned that the operator was using sex to promote gambling after a video showed an actress saying that she planned to have sex with 180 students. Stake did not post the video, but its logo appeared on the screen. Stake’s UK license was held under a white – label deal with TGP Europe.