Premier League Clubs to Vote the Phasing Out of Gambling Sponsorship Deals

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: July 2, 2022

According to a news report on BBC, the 20 clubs currently in the English Premier League will have a voting session on whether they should phase out gambling sponsorship deals or not. The UK government has already stepped in with a new law to prohibit gambling ads that feature sports stars.

The top-flight league in the country requested that the participating clubs hold a voting session ahead of the review of the white paper of the 2005 Gambling Act which is expected to be published this month.

For the premier league’s plans to be executed, at least 14 clubs must be in favor of the move that will affirm the removal of betting sponsorships from shirts for three years.

Currently, there has been contention on the presence of betting operators’ logos on the clubs’ shirts. This contention became heated with the review of the gambling legislation in Britain with campaigners calling for the outright ban of the logos from the first division down to the lower leagues.

Dependence of Lower Leagues Clubs on Betting Partnerships

However, it was reported that ministers are wary of such a far-reaching ban because lower leagues and other non-league clubs are receiving financial support from gambling. In an interview earlier this year, the CEO of Boreham Wood FC, Charlie Hunter spoke about the financial backing LV Bet had on the club and that is the case almost for every club in the lower leagues.

Furthermore, campaigners are still disheartened by the reports from Daily Mail and The Times last month. Those reports state that the effort of the Premier League to ban sponsorship is being watered down as clubs are just being encouraged to put those arrangements aside.

Currently, some top-flight clubs are confident in the continued sustainability of their partnership with betting operators. An example is the current Everton deal with Stake.com and the collaboration of Bournemouth with Dafabet though the move is later met with backlash from the fans.

On Friday, July 1, sources from Sky News reported that there has been a suggestion of compromise for DCMS from the Premier League. They have suggested the removal of betting logos in front of the team jerseys, but a possibility for it to remain on the sleeves.

The Way Forward

According to the news network, the minister of DCMS, Chris Philip has been considering the proposal, but there is no concrete decision as of yet. However, the government is keen on deciding on an outright ban by the 21st of July.

As reported by BBC, there has been no comment from the Premier League yet, but a statement from DCMS explains the stance of the ministry. It reads: “We are undertaking the most comprehensive review of gambling laws in 15 years to make sure they are fit for the digital age.” It also added that the ministry will be publishing a comprehensive white paper in the coming weeks that will explain the set-out vision of the industry. The white paper will most likely also explain what should be expected in the future in terms of gambling laws.