Chris Woerts applauds the legalization of the online gambling market. From Friday 1 October, clubs and companies can officially enter into a partnership. According to the sports marketer, it was high time, since there are millions to be earned with it.
Online gambling could already be done in different ways and at different companies in recent years, but was actually illegal. Due to an amendment to the Remote Gambling Act (Koa), this will change from 1 October. It will then become legal to gamble on sports matches online, which will also provide a new source of income for clubs. “A good thing, but it really took too long,” Woerts says at RTV Rijnmond. “The government has denied Dutch football clubs a source of income for fifteen years. You are talking about an amount of around 240 million euros. And to think that clubs from other countries already got this.”
The well-known sports marketer is happy that online gambling is finally being regulated. “The Netherlands has actually been the dumbest boy in the class in this, the laughingstock of Europe. We are one of the last countries to legalize this. If you ban things, you create illegality.” Despite the fact that there are more opportunities for gamblers, companies and Dutch clubs, Woerts tempers any euphoria. “It may become legal, but Dutch legislation will remain the strictest in Europe in this area. Online gambling may only be advertised after 9 p.m. and only aimed at persons over the age of 25.”
TOTO announced at the end of July that it had entered into a partnership with ten Eredivisie clubs, namely PSV, Feyenoord, Sparta Rotterdam, Willem II, FC Utrecht, FC Groningen, sc Heerenveen, ADO Den Haag, FC Twente and RKC Waalwijk. With this step, the sports betting provider was already preparing for the legalization of the gambling market. The TOTO logo will be visible on the sleeve of the shirts at all clubs. Woerts says he knows what amounts are involved in the contracts with clubs such as Feyenoord and Sparta, but did not want to name them.