Football and betting relationship to be examined by DCMS

UK Minister for Sports and Digital (DCMS) Nigel Adams stated in his recent BBC interview that “football’s link with betting will form a key part of the government’s imminent review of the 2005 Gambling Act”.

A new review of Gambling Act will be undertaken as the Conservative government vows to “make Britain the safest place to be online” – a commitment pledged during last December’s 2019 General Election campaign and borders among stakeholders will change.

Outlining the government’s agenda for UK sports, Nigel Adams didn’t hide his concerns on football being “too dependent” on gambling sponsorships.

“It’s right that in the new review of the Gambling Act, we will look at all these issues. I’m sure the link between gambling and football will form part of the review, which is going to be quite imminent,” Adams said admitting that his particular concern is whether betting sponsorships have “normalized gambling amongst younger fans”, as half of all Premier League clubs carry a betting sponsor on their matchday shirts.

He also revealed that he had held conversations with FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham in the wake of criticism of football governance for allowing FA Cup matches to be streamed on bookmaker websites as part of a third-party media agreement.

Adams informed football executives that gambling sponsorships will be reviewed by the government evaluating whether to categorize betting in the same criteria as tobacco prohibiting all forms of club sponsorship and marketing.