According to a report published by Sportsmail, the UK government is set to place a ban on gambling companies sponsoring football shirts. The news comes as a review into the country’s gambling laws is coming to a close with a full report including recommendations expected in the coming months which will affect UK Bookmakers.
That white paper is expected to recommend a blanket ban on front-0f-shirt sponsorship deals with gambling companies, a measure that has been on the cards since January of 2021. The report also reveals that there will be further recommendations made that will severely limit the reach of gambling companies in sport. One of these is believed to be a complete ban on pitch-side advertisements and TV commercials. However, these measures are likely to be held off until a further date with the ban on shirt sponsorships believed to be the priority for now.
At present nine Premier League clubs (45% of the league) have gambling firms as their main shirt sponsor while a further six Championship clubs have similar sponsorship deals. Many within the football industry have voiced their concerns that such a ban could have serious financial implications for clubs.
In the report, a Sportsmail source said:
“We are pretty sure there is going to be an end to front-of-shirt advertising. Everybody is expecting that. Reformers want more, but a lot of politicians are worried about the lower leagues. The Government thinks front-of-shirt will catch the headlines and it will feel like it has made a bold statement.”
This suggests that deals such as the one that QuinnBet signed with AFC Bournemouth will be unaffected by the ban as logos appearing on the rear or sleeves of shirts will still be allowed.
Should the ban be introduced it’s unlikely that it will come into effect until 2023 at the earliest.
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