Like any other major market in the context of top-flight European football, Germany has its distinct approach when it comes to sponsorship and ads. These regulations apply to broadcasts and the overall images of clubs, making sure that the rules apply in every imaginable context.
It’s interesting to note that a country as guarded as Germany regarding its ownership model will inevitably be quite strict with the industries that can promote themselves through sports. Naturally, the flavor of the last few years has been gambling, especially since regulated markets have started to accept it as a legitimate source of revenue for sports entities.
However, even with the commercial growth of this field, the situation in Germany makes it clear that the rules must be both clear and followed to a tee. In this article, we will assess what the situation is, what legislation applies, and why it’s so important for clubs, broadcasters, and gambling companies to be as careful as possible.
The overall context of sponsorship money in German football is the key to decoding this situation, but the presence of gambling has created a necessity for regulatory strictness that feels both vindicated and understandable.
The rules and role of the Interstate Treaty
The most important piece of legislation in the current situation comes from the Glücksspielstaatsvertrag 2021, which has been in force since 1 July 2021. Its forthcoming message is really interesting because it specifically allows sponsorships for the holders of German gambling licenses instead of tolerating such deals.
However, these partnerships are not without their own markers of distinctiveness. They have several rules that must apply in any sponsorship context, which are the following:
- The parameters are quite standard, per the provision 5(2): no excess, no targeting of minors, no misleading, no masked gambling content in editorial format, and, very importantly, no framework that showcases gambling as a solution for financial woes.
- Advertising in and around sports venues can only be on shorts, perimeter boards, or in a similar format. The key part here is that there must be a scaled-back approach. The only thing that can be visible is the brand itself, namely the logo. If the operators want to promote their 20 no deposit free spins entry offer or come up with any other text or call-to-action, it’s outside of the regulations and, thus, illegal.
- Self-excluded players cannot receive any personally addressed messages once they enter such a scheme.
- There is a total ban on sponsorships and advertisements that promote gambling companies and brands that do not have a license to operate legally in Germany.
Advertisement restrictions during matchday
There are several rules that restrict gambling advertisements from being visible and present on air or in other contexts. Each of the major ones has a clear purpose and mission from this point of view.
- Like other major football markets where gambling is legal, there is a mandatory watershed period. It applies between 6:00 and 21:00 daily, during which there cannot be any advertisement that promotes casino games.
- While sports betting is not part of this rule, gambling companies often have two products on their platforms, so it’s important to note which type applies. Notably, this watershed applied to both airplay and internet ads. If an operator has both products in its structure, it must specify in its advertisements that it only promotes the sports betting side.
- Another similar measure is the blackout during the live event. Starting right before the match and ending right after, this window cannot advertise sports betting content that applies to the event that is being broadcast on that channel. As such, general betting ads can still air on that channel.
- The rule that is, arguably, the most consequential remains the one that bars athletes and club officials from appearing in betting ads or having sponsorship contracts. Quite importantly, it applies to active sportspeople. Retired players, especially those with panache, along with other famous figures, can still appear in these ads.
- Lastly, platforms that showcase live feeds with game data (scores and other similar information) cannot display odds or betting-related figures. This is possible only on the bookmaker’s website.
How the Bundesliga treats gambling partnerships for kits and stadium names
While the German law is permissive when it comes to using betting companies as front-of-shirt sponsors, Bundesliga clubs have generally opted not to go in this direction. None of the participants in Germany’s top flight has a gambling company as the main sponsor.
The only notable exception was VfB Stuttgart’s partnership with Winamax. This deal lasted between 2023 and 2025, when the Baden-Württemberg club moved on and replaced it with LBBW. Needless to say, this break from the unspoken tradition was very controversial.
Such a context comes from how the public gatekeepers the sport. Fans are thoroughly against it, clubs would rather not go in this direction, while the sponsors themselves are reluctant to even try, hence the total ban.
However, the entire situation revolves around the front of the shirt, not the association with gambling as a whole. The majority of Bundesliga clubs have some form of sponsorship association with gambling operators, such as Bayern’s deal with Betano and Dortmund’s partnership with bwin. Even the DFB itself has such agreements with Tipico and bwin for its first three divisions, the domestic cup, and the national team.
As for stadium-naming rights, Fortuna Düsseldorf’s home ground is now the Merkur Spiel-Arena due to a deal between the club and Merkur Group (f.k.a. Gauselmann) gambling company. Fortuna made this deal in 2018, when the club returned to the top flight, but has since fallen to the third division.
How does the German model stack up against cases like France and England?
Germany has clear regulations against abusive or overwhelming advertisements for gambling, but the main clubs opt against it, as opposed to the situation in the UK. Overall, it’s a bit more restrictive than in France, about as restrictive in the UK, but it still allows for some flexibility.
Let’s take some convergence and divergence points between the three countries, all of which host top football leagues in European football:
- France’s League 1 is the only one that still employs front-of-shirt deals. The UK has banned them, while Germany’s Bundesliga clubs opt against it (for now).
- For sleeve placements, boards, and training kit sponsorships, all three countries are permissive. The same applies to stadium-naming rights.
- Germany is the only one that has a 6-to-9 watershed. The only applicable restriction with a similar effect is the one in France, where the cap on advertisement spending cuts into the potential of investing in such ads.
- During live sports events broadcast live, Germany is the only country with a statutory ban on betting ads on that game and that channel. In the UK, the whistle-to-whistle code is voluntary, while France currently works on a proposition in this direction.
- Neither the UK nor France has any issue with athletes partnering with betting firms, unlike Germany.
Conclusion: Measures that may be on the horizon
The Glücksspielstaatsvertrag is not as set in stone as other regulations regarding gambling. It will come under evaluation on 31 December 2026, while the treaty itself is available until 2028.
There are rumblings of requests regarding stronger limits on advertisements, especially in the context of curbing visibility. Stronger voices want betting gone altogether, at least in the form of sponsorships. A longer blackout is also part of the discussion.
However, there are bureaucratic conditions at hand. This treat is a federally-wide statute, which means that the 16 Länder must agree to any change to it. Each constituent parliament must ratify the new version, and this process can take at least one full year.
As such, any new development would probably require an informal agreement between clubs, which would have to step away from gambling sponsorship money voluntarily.
If you’re either a German citizen or reading from any country, remember that gambling can be highly addictive, so don’t forget to bet responsibly!
