Many called-for changes in Gambling Act review unlikely to take place

With the number of new shirt sponsorships swirling around the Premier League in the United Kingdom, it’s hardly surprising that the government may now be planning to not touch the partnerships between sports betting companies and football clubs. In fact, this is very likely not to happen, reports The Times, which claims the Gambling Act 2005review will not concern itself with advertisements promoted on football T-shirts.

There are almost ten teams in the Premier League that currently have active sponsorships with a betting or gambling brand. Crystal Palace, Newcastle, West Ham, AFC Bournemouth, and Everton FC are just some of the few who are or have been affiliated with such firms. Everton FC fans have already called for the suspension of this partnership in a petition that was signed by more than 20,000 people.

While some have embraced sports gambling sponsorships, others have dropped them en masse. Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wolves have both decided to opt-out of such partnerships as they feared that they may be forcefully shut down anyway.

Many consumers have seen powerful interests in the lobbying done by the Betting andGaming Council which has repeatedly urged the government to not suspend these partnerships as they are very beneficial to the teams that receive them. With the COVID-19 pandemic still suppressing finances, opting into such partnerships is actually a good way to offset some of the negative impact caused by the pandemic.

But calls for banning the T-shirt sponsorships have also been growing time and again. According to The Times, the government is trying to follow a path to self-regulation – something that has been questioned in other jurisdictions, such as the Netherlands.

Effectively, the media says that the government wants to retain those sponsorships but on the condition that they stick to strict guidelines. If some of the guidelines are flouted, the government would have the option to pass sweeping legislative changes that can ban the partnerships.

The hope is that this could prove as a good middle ground. But the fact is that none of this is confirmed. The White Paper has once again been pushed back by "several weeks." However, The Times used this opportunity to report on a number of other anticipated changes that are coming to the sector, including the introduction of an ombudsman.

More needs to be done, it seems, to make sure that the Football Index bankruptcy does not repeat itself under the very nose of the regulator. The UKGC is expected to be broadly empowered, reports the media, as it would have new powers that will enable it to act quicker and with more authority.

Fees for the industry may be raised as well. Another issue that is likely to stir people is the fact that a mandatory levy – broadly advocated for by GambleAware and others – has been shut down. The levy is necessary, argue its supporters, to be able to fund responsible gambling initiatives and treatment.

Online casinos may see a reduction of stakes to anything between GBP2 and GBP5 and games may need to be overhauled so that they do not feature any "harmful features." But not all is gloom and doom – the online sector and the industry may lose up to GBP700m according to the figures cited by The Times. The flipside is that the review targets the online sector and that it may be the land-based sector that ends up benefiting.

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