At a shareholder meeting set to take place later today, Premier League clubs are set to discuss the impact of their sponsorship agreements with gambling companies.
A year ago, a House of Lords committee called for the UK Government to ban sponsorship deals between gambling operators and professional football clubs under which sports teams advertise their gambling sponsors on their kits as of 2023.
The meeting will be held at a time when the UK Government is having a massive review of the country’s gambling legislation. The review was given a start late in 2020, with the Government providing a call-for-evidence deadline until March 31st. Football clubs are set to receive an update on the findings regarding the relationship between problem gambling and shirt sponsorships.
As explained by a spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) for Sky Sports News, the Government has undertaken a comprehensive review of the UK gambling legislation in order to make sure they are suitable to serve their purpose and regulate the quickly changing conditions at the market in the digital age. The DCMS representative explained that UK lawmakers are determined to tackle gambling addiction in all its forms and introduce stricter measures aimed at protecting people at risk.
Immediate Ban on Gambling Companies’ Sponsorships Would Be a Massive Blow for Football Clubs
Although no official decision has been made yet on the proposed ban on sponsorship deals between football clubs and gambling companies, the CEO of the English Premier League Richard Masters shared there needed to be some balance.
Mr Masters confirmed that all EPL clubs have partnerships with betting companies and shared he strongly believed that these partnerships were managed responsibly. According to him, there was an element of self-regulation on behalf of the gambling operators at the moment.
Rick Parry, the Chair of the English Football League (EFL), has warned that an immediate ban on gambling sponsorships would have a massive negative impact on football clubs’ finances. Mr Parry explained that such an approach would be “potentially catastrophic” in case Members of Parliament decide to implement the changes overnight. According to him, such a measure should be phased in over time in order to provide football clubs with the chance to adapt to the new situation. Otherwise, major problems are very likely to arise.
The EFL Chair also confirmed that gambling sponsorship deals are a considerable source of income for football clubs, and estimated them at no less than £40 million.
In July last year, an extensive report called “Gambling Harm – Time for Action” was published by the House of Lords’ Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry. The Committee made over 50 recommendations in its report, aimed at addressing the negative impact that problem gambling could have on players, their friends and families, as well as on entire communities.
- Author
Daniel Williams
