The Premier League’s proposed ban on gambling companies sponsoring football shirts is unlikely to have much effect on reducing young people’s exposure to gambling, MPs have warned.
A report by the Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport said the pledge would not protect children from the “bombardment” of betting ads, and criticised the Government for not taking swifter action on gambling reform.
The Government produced a white paper on changes to gambling legislation last April. It proposes to make gamblers pass affordability checks before they bet, restrict betting on slot machines, and force bookmakers and casinos to pay a levy to treat gambling addicts, but offers few recommendations for changing advertising regulations.
‘Minimal impact’
According to a July study, in the 2022-23 Premier League season, gambling-related advertising was shown to television viewers every four seconds. In one game, more than 3,500 on-screen gambling-associated logos were shown.
While Premier League clubs have agreed to ban gambling logos from match-day shirt fronts from 2026 onwards, the study found that these only accounted for 6.9 per cent of the total number of gambling adverts recorded.
The Select Committee said this self-imposed ban on shirt-front sponsorships would have only a “minimal impact” on visibility, with pitch-side hoardings displaying adverts far more prominently.
Committee Chair Dame Caroline Dinenage stopped short of endorsing a blanket ban on gambling adverts, but said more should be done “to shield both children and people who have experienced problem gambling from what often seems like a bombardment of advertising branding at football and other sporting events”.
‘Irresponsible’
In September, Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew claimed there was “little evidence” of a link between exposure to gambling advertising and gambling-related harm – a claim disputed by the Select Committee.
Committee MPs said: “The evidence for a link between advertising and gambling harm currently appears much stronger than evidence indicating there is a risk of displacement to the black market if gambling advertising were restricted.”
A spokesperson for the Coalition Against Gambling Ads said: “We welcome the committee’s recognition that gambling ads are a problem – the government must be bolder and end gambling advertising in Britain. There should be no place for the promotion of an irresponsible industry that is peddling harmful products.”
Problem gambling eight times worse than previously estimated
NHS to increase gambling addiction clinics as demand reaches record high
‘Govt and gambling companies need to do more’, urge grieving parents’
Gambling addict: ‘I couldn’t face my kids after betting my salary’