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The “Power of Sports Betting”: Dangerous and Barely Regulated

2022-08-05T12:00:19.003Z


The “Power of Sports Betting”: Dangerous and Barely Regulated Created: 08/05/2022, 13:50 By: Andreas Schmid Everywhere in the stadium: sports betting advertising, like here from bwin in Dortmund. © Imago/Moritz Müller They are omnipresent: advertisements such as "Your bet is in safe hands" or the "safe tip for you". The call for sports betting has so far only been laxly regulated. Munich – To


The “Power of Sports Betting”: Dangerous and Barely Regulated

Created: 08/05/2022, 13:50

By: Andreas Schmid

Everywhere in the stadium: sports betting advertising, like here from bwin in Dortmund.

© Imago/Moritz Müller

They are omnipresent: advertisements such as "Your bet is in safe hands" or the "safe tip for you".

The call for sports betting has so far only been laxly regulated.

Munich – Tobias Blümel bet 2.50 marks at the age of 16 on the outcome of three Bundesliga games – and won 21 marks.

15 years of sports betting followed, including social collapse.

"Betting addiction got me in jail," says the 37-year-old, who was jailed for aiding and abetting serious fraud and criminal cash procurement.

Today he does prevention work in schools and sports clubs to draw attention to the dangers of sports betting.

"As a result, I keep noticing how much power sports betting has gained in football." A power that is generating more and more returns - and is hardly regulated, as experts from politics and science tell

Merkur.de

from IPPEN.MEDIA.

Sports betting: Alliance wants to significantly limit advertising

Before the Bundesliga season begins on Friday, providers such as bwin and tipico are promoting the start of the season.

On their homepages and especially in the media.

Fans are encouraged to bet on the outcome of the games.

The association "Unsere Kune eV" sees "a limit of tolerability exceeded".

Fan spokesman Markus Sotirianos says: "Football enthusiasts can hardly escape the advertising."

Ilona Füchtenschnieder from the Gambling Addiction Association speaks of "advertising madness" and "false labelling", Professor Nicolas Klein of Transparency International of "irresponsible sports betting advertising".

Too little attention is paid to the dangers of betting.

The experts support the "Alliance against sports betting advertising" founded on the initiative of fan organizations.

It calls for the greatest possible restriction of sports betting advertising in Germany.

About IPPEN.MEDIA

The IPPEN.MEDIA network is one of the largest online publishers in Germany.

At the locations in Berlin, Hamburg/Bremen, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart and Vienna, journalists from our central editorial office research and publish for more than 50 news offers.

These include brands such as Merkur.de, FR.de and BuzzFeed Germany.

Our news, interviews, analyzes and comments reach more than 5 million people in Germany every day.

Higher, faster, further: Sports betting in Germany is celebrating record sales

The sports betting business is booming.

In 2021, the German market alone generated sales of 9.4 billion euros: a new record.

In times of ghost games, fans found themselves on the couch in front of the television.

Reaching for the mobile phone is not far away, the next tip is just a few clicks away.

"In particular, due to the sponsorship losses as a result of the corona pandemic, advertising for sports betting in the stadiums has increased again," says Green politician Philipp Krämer.

The financial success of betting providers is based on the losses of customers.

Especially from those of the frequent players who bet large amounts.

According to the Federal Center for Health Education, around half a million people in Germany are addicted to gambling.

It is not known how many of these are attributable to the sports betting market.

Especially since sports betting is considered “gambling with a share of competence”, i.e. in theory it can be influenced.

Current studies meanwhile assume that more than a million people are affected, with a large number of people with risky gambling behavior.

The "Alliance against sports betting advertising" writes: "Among the people who take part in sports betting, only almost 50 percent have completely unproblematic gaming behavior."

Sports betting addiction is usually not an individual problem.

Whole families would often be ruined, says Bremen's Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD), an advocate of stricter advertising regulations.

"It is estimated that for every person addicted to gambling, up to 15 relatives are affected and suffer from the consequences of the gambling addiction." Fabian, who was a gambling addict for 14 years, also knows this and told our editorial team his story.

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Sports Betting: Which Population Group is Most Vulnerable?

The "Alliance against sports betting advertising" explains: Young, male members of sports clubs bet significantly more often and are also more prone to develop risky behavior.

This is mainly due to the fact that they believe that their knowledge of football has an influence on their betting success.

(In doing so, they overestimate their competence, as studies have shown).

This group of people often also has a migration background.

Sports betting: 16 of the 18 first division clubs have an “official sports betting partner”

Betting providers are an important - because lucrative - advertising partner for the clubs in the Bundesliga.

Most clubs have an "official sports betting partner", as five Bundesliga clubs describe their involvement with Betway.

The German national team has also concluded an advertising deal with a betting provider.

The DFB Cup and the 3rd division are sponsored by bwin, Tipico is an official partner of the German Football League (DFL) and thus of the 1st and 2nd divisions.

The “Tipico countdown” gets Sky viewers in the mood for the games at 3:30 p.m. before the “Tipico top game” comes at 6:30 p.m.

Tipico

FC Bayern

betway

Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha BSC, VfB Stuttgart, Werder Bremen, Schalke 04

bwin

Borussia Dortmund, 1. FC Cologne, Union Berlin

interwetten

Borussia Monchengladbach, VfL Wolfsburg, TSG Hoffenheim

tipwin

Bayer Leverkusen

Sportwetten.de

VfL Bochum

888sport

RB Leipzig

fb88.com

FSV Mainz 05

without a direct sports betting partner

FC Augsburg, SC Freiburg (both have Lotto as partners)

In addition, last year sports icons such as Oliver Kahn or Lothar Matthäus advertised "Your bet in safe hands" or "The safe bet for you".

That created authenticity – and is now banned.

Since the current State Treaty on Gambling came into force on July 1, 2021, active athletes and officials are no longer allowed to advertise for betting providers.

These restrictions do not apply to clubs.

The stadium advertising platform is even expressly permitted in the State Treaty on Gaming.

In sports facilities, advertising for games of chance is only permitted in the form of umbrella brand advertising on jerseys and banners and similar advertising materials.

GlüStV § 5 Advertising

Sports betting: addiction officer Blienert demands advertising ban

From the point of view of the Federal Government's Addiction and Drugs Commissioner, Burkard Blienert (SPD), "advertising for offers that endanger addiction is never something useful".

Because sports betting advertising inevitably also reaches people who are prone to addiction, as addiction expert Gabriele Koller from the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the LMU Munich explains.

The advertising creates “of course a certain addictive pressure”.

In connection with betting addicts, Koller speaks of triggering a “craving”.

The English term means the strong desire in addicts, which is influenced by certain external factors (so-called triggers).

Advertising appears as such a trigger factor.

"The advertising creates an additional incentive to play."

Blienert would like "as little advertising for sports betting as possible, preferably none at all." It is "a very bad development" that advertising and sponsorship have played such a dominant role in professional football in recent years.

"One almost asks oneself what is actually in the foreground, the sport or the big betting business."

He therefore calls for "reasonable advertising regulation for sports betting" even before the World Cup in Qatar.

Specifically: a ban on television, radio and Internet advertising before 9 p.m., as is the case for online casinos.

“That would at least strengthen the protection of minors a bit.” Tobias Blümel was 16 when he bet for the first time, and sports betting is only officially allowed from adulthood.

He can't say exactly how much he lost.

"But I played in the millions, just in terms of sales."

For years, Tobias Blümel has invested almost all his money in sports betting.

After spending time in prison, he now does prevention work in schools and clubs.

© private

SPD and CDU disagree on the State Treaty on Gambling: “bad” or “good” compromise?

The federal states are responsible for the State Treaty on Gambling.

The conference of interior ministers dealt with sports betting advertising in December.

Bremen's Senator Mäurer wanted to obtain a ban - but failed because of the position of his counterparts.

The SPD politician describes the current legal situation as a bad compromise.

"The regulations do not go far enough, the betting providers must be set clearer limits." Mäurer therefore calls for a "radical rethinking".

Time is of the essence.

"Once we have a few million gambling addicts in Germany, it will be too late."

The sports policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU, Stephan Mayer, strikes a different note - and speaks of a "protractedly negotiated, fair and good compromise".

A sports betting advertising ban is “not necessary”.

His FDP counterpart, Philipp Hartewig, argued similarly.

He rates the State Treaty on Gambling as a "sensible step in the right direction".

The protection of minors has to be considered as well as the prevention of addiction and the containment of black market crime.

Sports betting advertising: FDP thinks about taxes - Greens make clubs responsible

The FDP also sees the debate from an economic perspective.

Part of the income from sports betting must “continue to be used to promote public and tax-privileged purposes.” If gambling advertising were to be further regulated, the state would lose tax revenue from betting providers.

"Sports betting providers claim to pay sports betting taxes in Germany in accordance with the racing betting and lottery law," explains Hartewig.

5.3 percent of revenue.

In 2021 that was 470 million euros.

The Greens politician Kramer, on the other hand, wants to regulate advertising.

He criticized the television clips on the sidelines of football games as "often very martial" and "highly manipulative".

Krämer is a member of the sports committee and told our editorial team: "The increase in advertising for sports betting is extremely problematic and should be addressed by politicians in a regulatory manner." In addition to the states, he also makes the clubs responsible and mentions the voluntary commitment to refrain from sports betting -Advertising as a conceivable option.

"That would be a good solution because it would allow the clubs and associations to fulfill their social responsibility."

Sports betting: Heavily regulated in Italy and Spain - lax in England

It is interesting to look at other countries where there are both extremes.

Advertising bans for sports betting on television are in place in Italy and Spain.

In the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, politicians are currently discussing appropriate bans.

In England, on the other hand, the confrontation with betting providers is part of watching football.

Premier League clubs such as West Ham United or FC Southampton have a betting provider as their shirt sponsor.

Fan initiatives like the Coalition Against Gambling Ads want to change that.

They receive support from clubs from the lower leagues, such as the third division team Forest Green Rovers, which was the first club in England to ban sports betting advertising in the stadium.

The influential clubs, on the other hand, remain silent – ​​as does the association sponsored by Sky Bet, which calls for “safe gambling” and launches campaigns – but at the same time apparently does not want to miss out on the income of its important partner.

Income from which the German association also benefits in this country.

A request from

Merkur.de

from IPPEN.MEDIA to the DFL remained unanswered.

Alliance shows "red card for sports betting"

In the direction of the DFL, but above all in the address of politics, the newly founded alliance shows the "red card for sports betting advertising".

It would have nothing to do with the propagated values ​​of the most popular sport in the world.

"The business model is based on tempting people to bet and making money out of it." Ex-gambler Blümel also knows this: Regarding the "power of sports betting", he says: "It simply has to be contained."

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-08-05

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