@inproceedings{01KJQ8G7YY1S42V3JHE01MZHJ1,
  abstract     = {{Belgium’s sports sponsorship landscape has recently undergone a notable shift, following repeated expressions from national and international scholars about the pervasive presence of gambling marketing in society and sports (Constandt & De Jans, 2024; Newall et al., 2024; Thomas et al., 2023). Following the implementation of extensive national regulations limiting gambling sponsorship in Belgium in January 2025, gambling companies have begun to circumvent these restrictions by introducing sub-brands that operate in different sectors such as sports media (Withouck, 2023). Comparable tactics have been observed in Italy (Heath et al., 2025). However, this sub-branding strategy is under scrutiny and causing controversy in Belgium, with numerous legal proceedings against the government (Maerevoet, 2023). 
While these sub-brands are presented as detached brands, many maintain clear associations with their gambling parent companies. That is because “sub-branding involves the strategy by which the organisation combines an existing brand name (i.e., parent brand) with a new one” (Lalaounis, 2021, p. 287). For example, in Belgian football, Circus Daily (i.e., new brand in sports news) serves as a sub-brand of Circus (i.e., existing gambling parent brand). Sub-branding enables companies to introduce new products in distinct categories while maintaining the recognition and associative value of the parent brand, relying on subtle visual and linguistic cues such as shared names, typography, or colour schemes (Hayran & Gürhan-Canli, 2016; Lalaounis, 2021). 
These associative links form the foundation of the associative network theory, which posits that even without explicit promotion, repeated exposure to these sub-brands can subtly trigger mental representation of the gambling parent brand (Anderson, 1983). Previous research in the alcohol industry shows that exposure to non-alcoholic sub-brands reinforces awareness of the parent alcohol brand (Lago & De Frutos, 2024). While such cognitive mechanisms were previously documented, the moral evaluation of gambling sub-brands remains unclear. De Jans et al. (2024) found that Belgian participants viewed (parent brand) gambling sponsorship as morally inappropriate, raising questions about how sub-brands are evaluated, due to their indirect and ambiguous nature. This study therefore explores (1) Belgian football fans’ ability to recall gambling sub-brands and their (non)associations with parent brands, and (2) their moral evaluations of gambling sub-brands. To address these aims, we conducted a qualitative survey among Belgian football fans who watched at least one match per week. This method was chosen for its ability to capture diverse perspectives, and its proven effectiveness in gambling research (Thomas et al., 2024; Torrance et al., 2021).
The results show that participants most often recalled gambling sub-brands and associated them with their parent brands through semantic cues, such as colour, typography, logo and visual style, and based on categorical cues, such as references to sports or gambling. Many sports fans expressed frustration and a sense of betrayal, as they believe these sub-brands deliberately exploit legal loopholes to maintain gambling visibility without facing consequences. They viewed such tactics as even more inappropriate than parent brand sponsorship. Other football fans understood the financial motivations behind these strategies and saw them as a step toward reduced visibility because of the subtle reference to gambling. Concerning policy, participants broadly supported sportive sanctions, such as point deductions, relegation, spectator bans, or match-based fines, targeting the sponsored entity rather than the sponsor, as this was seen as the most effective deterrent. 
This study offers timely insights into how gambling industries exploit regulatory loopholes through sub-branding, with Belgium serving as a unique early-stage example. The findings may inform future policy debates in countries considering similar restrictions. Beyond gambling, this research raises broader questions about marketing ethics in controversial industries and highlights the need for effective enforcement mechanisms to prevent circumvention of marketing regulations.}},
  author       = {{Jacobs, Katho and De Jans, Steffi and Constandt, Bram and Evens, Tom}},
  booktitle    = {{Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap 2026, Abstracts}},
  keywords     = {{Sport Sponsorship,Moral Appropriateness,Brand Extensions,Gambling}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  location     = {{Sportcentrum Papendal, Arnhem, the Netherlands}},
  title        = {{Blurring boundaries : how gambling sub-brands in sport sponsorship shape sport fans perceptions}},
  url          = {{https://www.etmaal2026.nl/conference}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}