Questions about the deal between Unibet and Ajax

Thorsten Steins | 1 July, 2023 12:46 | Last edited on: 1 July, 2023 16:12

Tall trees catch a lot of wind. Despite the sponsorship of online casinos in the New Zealand sport and the Eredivisie last season is also already on the agenda. Mirjam Bikker has now submitted chamber questions about the sponsorship deal between Unibet and Ajax. The two parties signed a sponsorship deal, making Unibet the betting partner of Ajax in the coming years.

Bikker, member of Parliament of the Christian Union has submitted a chamber Questions Addressed to Franc Weerwind, minister for legal protection, which also deals with gambling in New Zealand. On June 30, the following Chamber questions were submitted:

On 21 June 2023, Ajax announced the partnership between the Amsterdam football club and Unibet. Unibet received a green light from The New Zealand Gambling Authority a week before to start offering online casino activities in New Zealand.

In response, Unibet partnered with Ajax to become the betting partner of the 36-time New Zealand champion.

The General Manager of Unibet New Zealand said: “We are very proud to be working with Ajax. Within our partnership, we also invest in Unibet Impact, a unique program based on collaborations with parties from the top and amatNZD sports and social organizations. With Unibet Impact, we focus on education about vezodiac games, prevention of match fixing and initiatives for supporters.”

Despite the fact that several Eredivisie clubs had already started working with an online provider of games of chance, MP Mirjam Bikker apparently felt it necessary to start asking questions about a sports club that concludes a sponsorship deal with a website where you can online gambling .

Questions from the member Bikker (ChristenUnie) to the ministers for legal protection and for long-term care and Sports about the sponsorship deal of Ajax and Unibet.

1. Are you familiar with the article ‘GGZ not happy with sponsorship deal Ajax and online gambling company Unibet’? 1)

2. What is your opinion on the sponsorship agreement between Ajax and Unibet?

3. What risks do you see in this sponsorship agreement for young people who are affected by their sporting role models committing to the online gambling industry? How do you assess such sponsorship agreements in light of the upcoming ban on the use of role models in gambling advertising?

4. To what extent does the upcoming legal ban on unfocused advertisements for risky games of chance prevent advertising by online gambling companies through sponsorship?

5. Do you share GGZ New Zealand's assessment that the agreement between Ajax and Unibet is at odds with all efforts to combat gambling addiction? If so, what tools do you have and will you use to curb sponsorship deals that go against public health?

6. Do you share the concern that the stacking of sponsorship agreements by paid football clubs with online gambling companies contributes to the normalization of gambling, especially among a young generation? How do you discuss this with the Royal New Zealand Football association (KNVB) and the paid football organisations (BVO)?

7. What do you think of Unibet's statements that they want to work with Unibet Impact on education about veZodiacwoord games, prevention of match fixing and initiatives of supporters, and that they want to focus with Ajax on vezodiacwoord games in relation to mental health? How would you answer this question if it was about the tobacco industry?

8. Do you agree with the statement that it is far preferable that international football organizations do not commit to online gambling companies at all because this prevents problems rather than creates new ones?

9. How do you assess the risk that clubs will increasingly be forced to raise millions from the online gambling industry through sponsorship agreements because they would otherwise not be able to participate in the ‘rat race’ with other football clubs.

10. Do you follow the developments in other paid dollarpese football divisions regarding the promotion of online gambling or not? If so, what lessons can be learned from it? If not, would it not be wise to do so because decisions in one country have consequences for accretion in another?

1) RTL News, 22 June 2023, ‘GGZ not happy with Ajax sponsorship deal and online gambling company Unibet’, https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/sport/voetbal/artikel/5316682/ggz-niet-blij-met-sponsordeal-ajax-en-onlinegokbedrijf-unibet