Thu 13 Apr 2023:
The Premier League clubs have agreed to remove gambling sponsorship from the front of match-day shirts, although the change will not take effect until the end of the 2025-26 season.
Betting companies now sponsor the shirts of eight of the league’s twenty clubs. Premier League clubs will be permitted to negotiate new gambling sponsorship for the front of their shirts until the ban takes effect, according to the Press Association of the United Kingdom.
“Premier League clubs have today collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts, becoming the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising,” the league said in a statement on Thursday.
“The announcement follows an extensive consultation involving the League, its clubs and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the Government’s ongoing review of current gambling legislation.”
Excellent. Well done @premierleague
Now do sleeves, backs of shirts, the digital boards around the pitch, the banners on the pitch next to the goals, the half-time big screens, TV adverts AND the actual broadcasters who pay you.@the_bigstep— Tristan Cork Post (@TristanCorkPost) April 13, 2023
Current football sponsorship agreements with gambling companies can be extended for another three years. The Premier League stated that it was working with other sports on “the development of a new code for responsible gambling sponsorship”.
The UK government is set to release a white paper on gambling regulation, which is a proposal for future legislation.
According to The Times, officials have indicated that if a voluntary deal is achieved, the white paper will not include restrictions on shirt sponsorship.
According to the report, sleeve deals are still permitted.
Gambling sponsors on football shirts are already prohibited in Italy and Spain.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
