British sporting events promoter and Matchroom Sport’s founder and chairman Barry Hearn warned the UK Government that a blanket ban on gambling sponsorship deals and gambling advertising would be devastating for what he called “every layer of sport”. Mr Hearn, however, welcomed the authorities’ plans for unveiling new regulation of the industry.
According to reports, the UK Government is considering stretching its reforms of the sector to suspending the sponsorship agreements between football clubs and gambling operators by the end of 2021. Currently, there is a call for evidence that is set to expire in March 2021and some sources close to the Government have shared that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has already inflicted massive consequences on the UK gambling sector.
In the last season, half of the clubs in the English Premier League (EPL) and 16 of the 24 clubs in the Championship had a gambling company as a main sponsor.
As reported by The Telegraph, Mr Hearn highlighted how important it is for the Government to make sure the new gambling legislation is proportionate to the needs of the sector in order to properly regulate the industry. He explained that clearly some action is necessary but the exact measures that are to be taken by the lawmakers still remain unknown.
Hearn Says Blanket Ban on Gambling in Sports Is Highly Unlikely
Commenting on the possible impact of the aforementioned restrictions could have on snooker and darts, Mr Hearn explained there would probably be some financial losses.
However, he shared it was more important to think about what the money generated from sports is used for. Mr Hearn reminded there were a great many sports, including Premier League football, snooker and darts, generate money for grass-roots which in fact saves some money to the Government. As he shared, companies had always looked to expand their partnership agreements with professional sport.
According to Mr Hearn, it is highly unlikely for a blanket ban to be imposed on the sector. He further noted that no matter how strict the limitations are, the UK Government would not be able to prevent people from gambling. Instead, there would probably be some changes to the rules regarding gambling advertising. Mr Hearn shared that understanding the problem has to become a matter of paramount priority for the authorities, which is exactly why the UK Government has to come up with appropriate legislation, rather than leaving the sector to self-regulate itself.
He once again highlighted the fact that any type of blanket ban could have an extremely serious effect n the sector and reminded that about 30 million UK residents have been gambling, and only about 300,000 of them have been classified as gambling addicts, so the Government has to be careful when considering possible solutions for the sector.
- Author
Daniel Williams
