Groen wants the Flemish government to compensate for the loss of income that the VRT will suffer due to the new ban on gambling advertising. It would be about 1 million euros per year, the party concludes from the answer to a parliamentary question.
By the end of this year, almost all advertising for gambling should disappear in our country. This is stated in a new royal decree by Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld). Gambling advertising will no longer be allowed on TV and radio, on websites and social media, in newspapers and magazines and on posters in the street.
“There is absolutely no doubt that there will be a ban on gambling advertising,” says Flemish MP Tine Van den Brande (Groen). “However, we note that as a result of this decision, the public broadcaster is again losing revenue. It is already problematic that the VRT has to rely on gambling advertising to be able to do its job. Now there is also the fact that there is a risk of even more uncertainty if that money disappears. How is Minister Dalle going to compensate for this new financial loss?”
According to Flemish Media Minister Benjamin Dalle (CD&V), the VRT distributes commercial communications from gambling companies via the websites and apps of the channels. “If the gambling advertising disappears, the public broadcaster will lose about 1 million euros a year,” says Van den Brande. “Recently, the VRT announced a restructuring, as a result of severe cutbacks. The public broadcaster is on its gums. If we expect a public broadcaster that delivers quality work, then the necessary resources must be matched. Minister Dalle must absorb this new indirect saving.”
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