As the World Cup approaches, a recent study from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany, has warned that sports betting advertisements have become deeply ingrained in professional football.
The researchers warned about associated risks and called for stricter regulations on gambling advertising in sports.
The study presented an analysis of eleven matches from the 2024 European Football Championship. Researchers identified a total of 5,914 instances of gambling advertising during the TV broadcasts. Advertising by the official UEFA betting partner, Betano, was particularly prevalent.
Study leader Johannes Singer stated: “Overall, gambling advertising was present for almost 195 minutes of the broadcast time examined – this corresponds to around 7.4% of the total broadcast duration or about the length of a half-time break per game.”
Furthermore, researchers analysed gambling advertising across all nine Bundesliga matches on the 31st matchday of the 2024/25 season including live broadcasts, pre- and post-match coverage, halftime and advertising breaks, as well as the specialised football TV programmes.
They found 18,708 gambling ads in total, with 15,089 during live games. Overall, gambling ads were visible for nearly 500 minutes - about a third of the total broadcast time.
The researchers are calling for stricter regulations on gambling advertising during live broadcasts, including restrictions on ad placement, mandatory labelling on social media, technical age-verification measures and required warning messages across all advertising formats.
Meanwhile, German operators are preparing for the World Cup by improving their offerings.
Betano has launched Betano Social in the country, allowing registered local users to share bets, comment on posts and access football analysis. The brand was named an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026
Furthermore, Tipico will stream all World Cup matches for qualified users via its website and app.
Germany’s Federal Addiction and Drug Commissioner Hendrik Streeck recently called for stronger action against illegal gambling in the country, arguing that enforcement is currently too weak
