


“Without government action on all forms of gambling ads in football, at every level, online casinos will exploit any voluntary measures and continue marketing their products through our national sport,” he said.
#Shutterstock premier code#
The Premier League says it is also working with other sports on the development of a code intended to promote “responsible” gambling sponsorship but Grimes would prefer a more formal regulatory process. “At the moment we’re probably the country with the most liberal gambling laws in the world,” he said.Ĭonsultations between the Premier League, its clubs and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are ongoing and it is understood that football’s powerbrokers were advised that Thursday’s pre-emptive announcement represented the best way of avoiding the imposition of legislation. Iain Duncan-Smith, the former Conservative Party leader and a key member of the all-party parliamentary group on gambling-related harm is among those lobbying for tighter regulation. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. For more information see our Privacy Policy. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. Such claims have come under sometimes uncomfortable scrutiny during an examination of the often symbiotic commercial relationship between football and the betting industry, conducted during a wider government review of the 2005 Gambling Act. The EFL lacks the gargantuan international television deals enjoyed by the Premier League and argues that sum is imperative to its survival. Rick Parry, the EFL’s chairman, said last year that betting sponsorships were worth up to £40m a year to clubs. The less wealthy English Football League is backed by Sky Bet. In January Aston Villa’s fan consultation group discussed the issue with the club’s chief executive, Christian Purslow, and were told the “commercial reality” for mid- and lower-table teams was that gambling companies invariably provided double the money offered by other sponsors. Everton, who are in danger of relegation, could struggle to replicate the £10m a year they command from the online casino. Whereas Saudi Arabian-owned Newcastle, third in the table, are confident about replacing their soon-to-expire £6.5m-a-year shirt deal with Fun88 with a much more lucrative alternative, clubs outside the top six will almost certainly experience drops in income. “But I understand the gambling companies pay best so it’s a difficult decision for clubs to turn them down.” “I don’t think having gambling sponsorship on shirts is good,” he said. Tony Bloom, the Brighton owner, has made a fortune from sports betting but endorsed the ban. Aston Villa and Wolves wear betting-related sleeve adverts. The collective value of those contracts is about £60m a year. Delaying that moment is risking the health and lives of another generation of young fans.”Įight of the 20 Premier League clubs – Bournemouth, Brentford, Everton, Fulham, Leeds, Newcastle, Southampton and West Ham – have betting companies as front-of-shirt sponsors. “The government and the sport itself now need to wake up to the reality that gambling ads are unhealthy, unpopular and will be kicked out of football. “Just moving logos to a different part of the kit while allowing pitchside advertising to continue is totally incoherent,” said Grimes. The Premier League said its clubs had agreed to the measure voluntarily, but what can be viewed as an uneasy compromise dictates that it will still be possible to promote gambling brands on shirt sleeves and pitchside advertising hoardings.
