Betclick, Expekt, Bwin and Unibet Sponsorship Threat in Poland
Betting journalist Filip Sosnowski explained that the extent of any ban will become clearer in the next two weeks after the Polish parliament has debated the proposal.
A range of high profile sports betting brands including , Mangas Gaming’s, Bwin.com, Betclick, Unibet.com, Expekt and Bet at Home have their football sponsorship deals under threat in Poland.
A proposed ban on marketing and advertising by bookmakers may sting these big brands as it would make the sponsorship of any Polish sport by a bookmaker illegal.
Expekt currently sponsor the Polish national football team, Bwin.com is a principal sponsor of Ekstraklasa team Legia Warszawa and Betclick sponsor the shirts of the Ekstraklasa team Lech Poznan. The new law would make all of these sponsorships illegal and could cost Polish sport £11 million per year.
The loss of Unibet.com as title sponsor of the second tier of Polish football could cost the Polish National 2nd League €4m per season.
The decision to place restrictions on gambling came from Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk after four senior Polish officials were forced to resign after they were suspected of being influenced by gaming industry lobbyists.
New proposals to regulate the industry also include a suggestion to raise the tax on offline gambling operators from 10% of stakes to up to 50% of gross profit.
