UK government 'likely' to ban gambling firms from football shirt sponsorship
Boris Johnson's government is 'likely' to support a ban of gambling sponsorship on football shirts in the autumn, according to a report.
This could have a drastic financial impact, with the majority of Championship clubs and half of Premier League sides possessing a sports betting or online casino sponsor. It is estimated that teams in the top two divisions alone would take a combined revenue hit of £110m-a-year if the legislation is enacted.
According to the Telegraph, the government are increasingly concerned about gambling addiction, with a full review into the industry currently taking place.
Although the deadline to submit evidence for this review is not until March, there is growing confidence that the Prime Minister will enact reform when its findings are revealed. Previously, a House of Lords select committee report recommended that gambling firms be barred from advertising on football jerseys back in July.
Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who is a leading figure in the cross-party group on gambling harm, told the Telegraph she was confident of the ban being put in place.
"For me, it's about common sense prevailing over greed, because these football clubs have alternative ways to be funded," she added.
Ending betting sponsors on football shirts is looking increasingly likely given evidence of the impact of gambling ads on children
— Clean Up Gambling (@cleanupgambling) January 26, 2021
We hope the government goes much further and ends all gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship https://t.co/EnFutgniXz
Support for the legislation among football supporters is also fairly high. The issues have been attracting increasing discussion on social media, while Polling by Survation recently revealed that one third of fans surveyed said they would be put off buying their team's shirt if it included sponsorship from a gambling firm.
The director of Clean Up Gambling, Matt Zarb-Cousin, who commissioned the survey told the Guardian: "The government would have the backing of football fans if it decided to move against gambling ads, and clubs would benefit from an increase in shirt sales."
If the UK does move ahead with the proposals, they would not be the first country to ban gambling advertisement with both Italy and Spain not permitting shirt sponsorship by gambling companies.
Which Premier League clubs have gambling shirt sponsors?
Aston Villa (LT) *sleeve sponsor
Burnley (LoveBet)
Crystal Palace (W88)
Fulham (BetVictor)
Leeds United (SBOTOP)
Newcastle United (Fun88)
Southampton (Sportsbet.io)
West Ham United (Betway)
West Bromwich Albion (12BET) *sleeve sponsor
Wolverhampton Wanderers (ManBetX)