Gambling advertising in the UK already has stringent measures in place to decrease the exposure of gambling adverts and their appeal to a younger audience. However, that won’t stop father and son duos witnessing 50% of Premier League club shirts and their gambling sponsors on Saturday afternoons during next season’s campaign. This fact has reignited some concerns among the exposure of gambling and young viewers.
Nearly half of the clubs for the 2019/20 season have a gambling company on front of the shirt
| Club | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|
| Arsenal | Fly Emirates |
| Aston Villa | W88 |
| Bournemouth | M88 |
| Burnley | LoveBet |
| Chelsea | Yokohama Tyres |
| Crystal Palace | ManBetX |
| Everton | SportPesa |
| Leicester | King Power |
| Liverpool | StanChart |
| Man City | Etihad Airways |
| Man Utd | Chevrolet |
| Newcastle | Fun88 |
| Norwich | DafaBet |
| Sheff Utd | Union Standard Group |
| Southampton | LD Sports |
| Tottenham | AIA |
| Watford | Sportsbet.io |
| West Ham | Betway |
| Wolves | ManBetX |
Some gambling organisations have been part and parcel of the footballing world for years and have long-term deals in place. However, as this number has risen, campaigners have become angry and suggested that the love of the game between younger viewers means they are directly advertising to those young fans and bending the UK’s advertising rules for gambling. It must be said that many responsible gambling companies like PartyCasino recognise this concern and are reluctant to get involved with such Premier League sponsorship deals.
Sponsorship is Crucial to Premier League Success
Premier League clubs rely on sponsorships so they can make a significant challenge in the transfer window and maintain their Premier League status or fight for the title. Staying afloat in the top league is big business and sponsorship deals are crucial to their business and financial success.
Shirt sponsorship usually goes hand in hand with stadium sponsorship, as in the case of Leicester and Man City, but by shirt sponsorship alone, the 20 clubs are due to earn a new record of £350 million in the coming year. This is a whopping 10% increase on the previous year’s total.
One of the influencers in this is the rise of shirt sponsorship involving betting companies. A record ten clubs will display the logo and branding of betting outfits this year. These deals alone will be worth almost £70 million to the ten clubs involved.
Are Things Different in the Championship?
England’s second tier of football is even worse in the eyes of campaigners. Betting dominance has surged in the league with a staggering 17 out of 24 clubs branding betting companies. Thus 27 out of 44 of England’s most-watched teams will have shirt sponsors with betting sites this coming season. No wonder campaigners are concerned and believe advertising rules are being pushed to their limit – or breaking point?
| Club | Sponsor |
|---|---|
| Barnsley | C.K.Beckett |
| Birmingham | BoyleSports |
| Blackburn | 10Bet |
| Brentford | EcoWorld |
| Bristol City | Dunder |
| Cardiff | Malaysia |
| Charlton | CwC UK |
| Derby | 32Red |
| Fulham | DafaBet |
| Huddersfield | PaddyPower |
| Hull | SportPesa |
| Leeds | 32Red |
| Luton | Indigo, Star, Northern Gas |
| Middlesbrough | 32Red |
| Millwall | Huski Chocolate |
| Nottingham Forest | Football Index |
| Preston | 32Red |
| QPR | Royal Panda |
| Reading | Casumo |
| Sheff Wed | Chansiri |
| Stoke | Bet365 |
| Swansea | YOBet |
| West Brom | Ideal Boilers |
| Wigan | KB88 |
Are the Rules Flawed?
The rules stated by The Gambling Commission and overseeing bodies do seem to have a major flaw in them. The betting laws on advertising in the UK were recently changed to protect younger people. One rule is that football matches that are aired on television should not use gambling advertisements. This is to deter those younger viewers from becoming attracted and develop problems with gambling.
With such laws, it does seem strange that the same younger viewers can be exposed to gambling branding and logos for 90 minutes of the match. Those who reject these claims would suggest that seeing a logo is not the same as seeing an advert enticing people to start gambling.