Premier League football clubs have agreed to remove gambling brands from matchday shirts in a new effort to minimise gambling advertising in football. This makes it the first professional sports league in the UK to agree on moving away from gambling sponsorship.
Why Is This New Sponsorship Ban Coming into Effect?
This new sponsorship ban is coming into effect after the Premier League and the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport both engaged in a thorough consultation process. This is part of an ongoing review of gambling laws in the UK in the 21st century. The League is also looking to work with other types of professional sports to create new guidelines around responsible gambling and sponsorships.
The main goal of removing gambling sponsorships from football shirts is to reduce its visibility to young football fans. It is believed by the bosses of these clubs that this is going to have a significant impact on how visible gambling advertisements are within the sport. It expects other sporting leagues to follow its steps in removing gambling sponsorships.
A new Gambling White Paper is set to be introduced by the UK Government very soon with the aim of updating protections for gamblers and protecting those who need it from gambling harm.
When Will Gambling Sponsorships Be Removed from Shirts?
Gambling sponsorships on matchday shirts in the Premier League are set to end by the end of the 2025/2026 season. This is to provide a grace period for clubs to move from any gambling sponsorship agreements that they currently have to new ones to prevent loss of revenue from the action. At the moment, there are eight Premier League clubs with gambling sponsorships on their shirts. This includes Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Brentford.
While gambling firm sponsorships are set to be removed from front of Premier League football shirts, it has not yet been specified whether any other areas of the kit are covered or if bookmakers are also included in this new set of guidelines.
Reader comments