Citing sources ‘close to Downing Street’, the Telegraph stated that Johnson’s senior cabinet are determined to press ahead with drastic reforms to UK gambling, placing a specific emphasis on the sector’s relationship with football.
Despite its apparent support, the government is conscious of the impact and timing of a sponsorship ban on football, which would leave a ‘£110million-a-year dent’ on Premier League and Championship club accounts.
Last Autumn, English Football League (EFL) leadership wrote to DCMS stating that lower league football clubs were on a “financial knife-edge dealing with the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic.”
The EFL supported changes to betting’s relationship with football but warned the government not to follow European counterparts in imposing a blanket ban on football sponsorships.
Supporting betting sponsorships, the EFL highlighted the response to social responsibility concerns by operators, in which league sponsor Sky Bet had donated 70% of its matchday inventory to promote safer gambling and education of compulsive behaviours.
Last year, Brigid Simmonds, Chair of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), emphasised that there is a ‘perception issue’ surrounding sports clubs’ agreements with gambling brands. Simmonds suggested that together, sports and betting operators can have a positive impact.
The government’s 2021 agenda will see DCMS publish its ‘white paper’ of recommendations for the UK gambling sector by late summer or autumn.
A further option of imposing a ‘sports rights levy’ to be paid by betting operators to governing bodies has been ‘informally discussed’ as the government recognises that advertising curbs will raise funding concerns from professional sports.
Maintaining a close relationship with PM Johnson, the Daily Telegraph stated that the Prime Minister would take an active role in how UK gambling’s future laws and standards will be reshaped.
Source: GMB / Insider Sport
