- As from 31 August, on the occasion of the decree of the Spanish Government which regulates the advertising of companies in the gambling sector, the advertisements of them may only be issued between 1:00 and 5:00 hours. In live sports broadcasts, therefore, no more betting houses will be issued and sports teams will not bear their name on t-shirts.
In the case of the Bilbao Basket, for example, RETAbet is no longer a sponsor of the club. The EFE note on the decree also mentions Kirolbet Baskonia, but this betting house had already stopped sponsoring the team. The last sponsor that Baskonia has had was TD Systems, whose signature breached the agreement until the group decided to rescind the agreement.
The decree regulating advertising stipulates that in football matches, for example, there will be no advertising of sports betting or bingo, which has happened "disproportionately" during the last Euro Cup, as explained to EFE by the Spanish Government's general gaming director, Mikel Arana. Arana added that the fact that soccer players appear in these types of ads or that they carry on their t-shirts the name of these companies "inviting the youngest to play" does not send a positive message "about what the League should be".
This decree, adopted in November 2020, has gradually entered into force. The League itself, the Digital Game Association and the Media Association (AMI) resorted to the ruling, which could endanger the survival of the sports press.