Government's Gambling Review threatens betting shirt sponsorships

A wide-ranging review of gambling laws launched this week will consider banning sports sponsorship amongst a ruck of reforms being considered by Government.

The review, announced on Monday (December 7) is calling for interested parties to submit their views.

Amid mounting concern about gambling’s role in wider society, changes under consideration will include:

• Limits on online stakes, prizes and “spin speeds”.
• Tough affordability checks.
• A testing regime for new products.
• A sports sponsorship ban.
• New powers to tackle the parallel market.
• Legal redress for wronged punters.
• A mandatory levy to fund addiction treatment
• Increasing from 16-18 age that you can buy a Lottery Ticket

The main impact on Football will be a possible ban on gambling advertsiements at Football Grounds, including shirt sponsorships. Given that over half the Premier League and Championship clubs have betting partners on front of shirt, the financial impact will be significant.

The sports minister, Nigel Huddleston, will oversee the review but Boris Johnson is understood to be keen on dialling back the Blair-era legislation that spawned the modern UK gambling industry.

According to reports in last week's Guardian, Senior officials in Downing Street are also believed to see gambling reform as a vote-winner, as well as the right thing to do. “The PM just sees it as people being exploited and it’s not him,” one MP with knowledge of No 10’s thinking said earlier this year.

JB