The Premier League has reportedly confirmed that it will begin phasing out front-of-shirt sponsorships with gambling companies.
A new report from Sky News claims the Premier League, with the gambling reform white paper looming, has suggested slowly ending gambling front-of-shirt sponsorships over the coming years.
The organisation also suggested to ministers that gambling companies should remain on the Premier League teams’ shirt sleeves due to the revenue they provide, with shirt sleeves less visible and less valuable than the front of team shirts.
The proposal was suggested during negotiations with ministers over the last few weeks, and, according to reports, is being considered.
A BBC Sport report from May suggested that Premier League clubs may be barred from signing gambling and betting firms as sponsorships on the front of shirts, following campaigns to ban them to better protect those at-risk.
Right now, a number of Premier League teams have sponsorship agreements with gambling firms, including AFC Bournemouth which announced Dafabet as its shirt sponsor last month.
The UK government is set to publish a White Paper as part of its review of the 2005 Gambling Act soon, and reports have suggested that the government will announce new restrictions on the industry.
The restrictions may include a ban on free bets and VIP packages for users that incur heavy losses, the introduction of “non-intrusive” affordability checks, and requiring online casinos to enforce a maximum bet limit of between £2 and £5.
What’s more, the government will reportedly provide the Gambling Commission with additional powers and funding from increased fees paid for by the gambling industry.
The restrictions haven’t been confirmed, but it’s only a matter of time before the UK government announce changes to the UK’s gambling industry.
Meanwhile, organisations like the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) have urged the government to avoid implementing strict rules that could push punters towards the black market, where there are no protections.
