Anti-gambling advertising organisations have called for the Premier League to prohibit gambling firms from continuing advertising in football after agreeing to remove sponsors from the front of shirts. Representatives from the 20 clubs in the Premier League voted to pass the proposal on Thursday in a move that will enforce a crackdown on advertising for gambling companies, with a concerning number of people involved in gambling in the UK.
Premier League’s shareholders agreed to include ‘a compromise’ which will allow clubs to continue to use betting and gambling firms but only as a sleeve sponsor, which has proved to be another source of revenue for clubs in recent years. The new rule will come into force at the end of the 2025-26 as the Premier League said they will “assist clubs with the transition away from shirt-front sponsorship”.
The move could cost clubs an estimated £50m in sponsorship money, with eight teams currently tied to agreements with betting or casino firms. However, those deals are set to expire in 2025 at the latest, allowing the group of clubs sufficient time to search for new sponsorship agreements.
It remains to be seen what effect it will have on the public, however. The Gambling Commission’s most recent statistics revealed findings that 44 per cent of polled adults participated in any gambling activity in the last four weeks leading up to December 2022, with people aged 25-34 becoming increasingly involved in online gambling.
Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of Clean Up Gambling, said the decision to remove gambling firms logos from the front of football shirts is evidence of the “damage” caused by such adverts.
He told Express Sport: “This is a welcome concession, but it also amounts to a confession of the damage relentless gambling advertising is doing to those experiencing gambling problems, and children whose perceptions are influenced by it.
“This agreement points to a lack of action on advertising in the forthcoming gambling White Paper. This puts pressure on government to deliver reforms that ensure online gambling is safe. Otherwise we will have over-promotion of a sector harming the population disproportionately.”
James Grimes, founder of The Big Step campaign, said that while the move indicates progress is being made in some areas, it is “totally incoherent” to allow gambling firms to continue advertising on the sleeve of Premier League clubs’ shirts, as well as being present within stadiums on pitch-side advertising boards.
“Today’s announcement is a significant acceptance of the harm caused by gambling sponsorship,” he said. “No gambling ads are seen more than those on Premier League shirts, worn by billions around the world.
“But just moving logos to a different part of the kit while allowing pitch-side advertising and league sponsorship to continue is totally incoherent. Without government action on all forms of gambling ads in football, at every level, online casinos will exploit any voluntary measures and continue to market their products through our national sport.
“Although this outcome isn’t perfect, it’s a huge step. Just over three years ago, there were nearly 30 clubs in the top two divisions with a gambling advert on the front of their shirt – with today’s announcement, we are getting closer to when that will be 0.”
In a statement released by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), culture secretary Lucy Frazer said she “welcomed the decision” from the Premier League clubs and pledged to introduce strict controls for those coping with gambling addiction.
“The vast majority of adults gamble safely but we have to recognise that footballers are role models who have enormous influence on young people,” she said. “We want to work with institutions like the Premier League to do the right thing for young fans.
“We will soon bring forward a Gambling White Paper to update protections for punters and ensure those who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected.”