ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS TO DISCUSS CONTENTIOUS GAMBLING SPONSORSHIP ISSUE

English Premier League football clubs are due to meet tomorrow to discuss the issue of gambling sponsorships. 

With the British government currently reviewing the 2005 Gambling Act, there are growing calls for gambling sponsorships and advertising to be banned in English football in an effort to counter problem gambling.

Last year, a House of Lords committee recommended introducing a ban on gambling sponsorships on shirts, or any other sports kit, from 2023 onwards, and as previously reported, it is thought that both Boris Johnson and his cabinet are likely to support a shirt sponsorship ban in football. 

However, eight Premier League clubs (Burnley, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Leeds, Newcastle, Southampton, West Ham, and Wolves) currently have front-of-shirt sponsorships with gambling companies, and 17 started the season with some kind of gambling partnership. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s no secret that gambling deals are extremely important to many clubs’ finances – something that is all the more pressing given the challenges posed to football by the COVID-19 crisis. But, with the popular press, pressure groups, and politicians looking to score easy votes, all pilling on the pressure, it’s hard to see how the Premier League will be able to avoid agreeing on at least some additional restrictions.