Eden Hazard Under Investigation by Belgian Gaming Commission for Stake.com Posts

The Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) has launched a formal investigation into Eden Hazard, Stake.com’s newest ambassador, for his promotion of the cryptocurrency gambling site to his Belgian followers on social media.

Timeline of Events

Just last week, we reported that Stake.com had announced that the former Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Belgian football star Hazard would be serving as their new ‘global ambassador’.

Speaking of Hazard, Stake.com said: 

On March 11, to launch his new role with Stake, a video was posted on Hazard’s various social media accounts. The video shows him in a Stake mock football shirt, with the Stake logo prominent across the image.

On March 14, it was reported in local Belgian media that the Gaming Commission was looking into whether these videos broke local gambling laws.

Why is Hazard being investigated?

Stake.com is illegal in Belgium and formally blacklisted by the Gaming Commission. Belgium has some of the strictest gambling regulations in Europe, and currently, no cryptocurrency casinos are licensed there. Stake.com holds a license from Curaçao, which carries no legal weight in Belgium and offers players there no protection.

The question the Belgian Gaming Commission will be investigating is whether Hazard was intentionally marketing Stake.com to his local Belgian followers.

Eden Hazard made 126 appearances for Belgium between 2008 and 2022, and he captained his national team. While he is a global football star, his influence is exceptionally strong in Belgium.

The video that Hazard posted on March 11 across his social media:

Hazard’s social media empire

The social media reach of Hazard is undoubtedly what drew Stake to him in the first place. Hazard is a player who matured during the boom of social media, starring for Chelsea between 2012 and 2019.

In the post on the Stake.com site discussing his ambassadorial role, they mention right near the start that:

So, while this massive global following is the primary draw for Stake, it is exactly the aspect that has landed him in regulatory trouble with the BGC.

Legal trouble

The Belgian Gaming Commission has stated that if the advertising is found to be aimed at Belgian users, the BGC will issue a formal notice requiring Hazard to halt the promotion immediately.

They also noted that if Hazard fails to comply with that notice, they will impose financial sanctions and potentially escalate the matter to formal legal action.

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