There have been calls across Europe to ban gambling advertisements and sponsorship deals with sports teams and leagues in recent times.

Reports in the UK suggest culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, will launch a call for evidence as the Government aims to overhaul the 2005 Gambling Act, which includes a review of betting sponsorships in sport.

While in Spain, the Royal Decree of Commercial Communications of Gaming Activities came into force on 3 November, which bans gambling sponsorship deals with sports teams and competitions.

But former Interwetten speaker of the board Beier is against such bans and believes operators advertising within sport is fully justified.

Speaking to Gambling Insider, Beier said: “I am totally against these bans. There is no logical reason for me to do so. The only thing it does is to harm sports - it will create less revenue and the channelisation rates will automatically go down.

“It is crucial to communicate responsible gaming to customers, which can perfectly be done through sponsorships. By banning all ads, you only create a lot of questions for customers: which operator can I still trust, which brands promote responsible gaming? Etc. So in the end there are only losers on that: The rights holders, the operators and the customers.

“Sports fans are obviously the main target group for sports betting operators. Therefore advertising within the sports environment is absolutely justified. With proper regulation in place and the necessary responsible gaming messages, all involved stakeholders benefit from it.

“I do think gambling companies are very important for the value chain within sports.”