Poker Writer
Belgium’s gambling regulator launched an investigation into promotional content involving former Belgian soccer star Eden Hazard and his ambassador role for online betting operator Stake.
The 35-year-old retired former Chelsea star, who had 126 caps for Belgium in his career, made social media posts promoting himself as an ambassador for Stake less than a week ago. His Instagram account, which reaches 27 million followers, lists “ambassador @stake” as the first thing on his profile with the code “Hazard.”
Investigating Intention Towards Belgians
Hazard now lives in the Spanish capital of Madrid, following the end of his career stint at Real Madrid, but is still under investigation by the Belgian Gaming Commission.
Belgium has some of the strictest regulations on the promotion of gambling. Since 2023, broadcast, print and digital advertising has been prohibited in the country of nearly 12 million. The restrictions are steadily expanding as well, eventually broadening into a complete ban on commercial gambling promotion, including sponsorships, starting in 2028.
The spokesperson for the Belgian Gaming Commission, Stefaan Savenberg told local Belgian news:
We are going to investigate to what extent that advertising is targeted at people in Belgium, because that is of course prohibited. Mr. Hazard has many Belgian followers on his Instagram page. Therefore, an investigation will have to determine whether the intention is to encourage Belgians to play on that illegal website.
The key to the investigation is to determine if Hazard’s ambassadorship is aimed at Belgians. The announcement of his partnership with Stake describes him as a “global ambassador.” He is also hardly a Belgian star alone, as he has millions of fans across a variety of countries, from Chelsea fans to millions of Real Madrid fans.
The vast majority of comments on the Stake post are from non-Belgians, many of whom reacted negatively to the ambassadorship on moral ground attitudes toward gambling.
Casillas and Aguero Also With Stake
Stake also has ambassador partnerships with a few other retired soccer stars, including some very prominent names.
Another former Real Madrid star, Iker Casillas, also signed with Stake in December. One of the most decorated goalkeepers of all time, Casillas did not face the same level of scrutiny as a Spanish citizen.
Argentinian legend Sergio Aguero became a Stake ambassador in early 2025.
Both Casillas and Aguero list their Stake roles in prominent positions on their social media accounts.
Stake Controversy in the Music World
Controversies with Stake have not been confined to the sports world. Controversy around the online casino has also crossed over into the music world. In January, Drake was hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging he was promoting illegal gambling.
Plaintiffs also claimed that Drake was not using his own money for his bets. They claimed was effectively gambling with monopoly money while pretending to use his own.
Even Drake’s winnings are under scrutiny. A recent article explored whether Stake may be artificially inflating Drake’s winnings to sell the product to his followers.
Image credit: Aleksandr Osipov/Flickr (license)
