Football: Betting Advertisements in Stadiums
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
An influential group of UK Members of Parliament has called on the English Premier League and other sports governing bodies to “commit to cutting the volume” of betting advertisements in their stadiums.
The Culture Media and Sport Parliamentary Committee in a new Report have stated that a reduction of such advertisements was needed in order to “shield children from exposure” to the logos of betting companies.
During the last season, 2022-2023, eight English Premier League Clubs had gambling companies on the front of their players’ shirts, worth some £60 million a year!
In April of last year, the Clubs reached a groundbreaking agreement to eliminate gambling company sponsorships from the front of their matchday shirts by the end of the 2025-2026 season.
However, the Committee noted that this will “not significantly reduce the volume of betting adverts visible during a game” whilst Clubs continue to feature them on match shirt sleeves and on LED perimeter advertising.
The Committee recommends that a new gambling sponsorship code of conduct for sports should include a provision to reduce betting advertising in stadiums and ensure that more space is dedicated to safer gambling messaging.
And adds that the Government should require sporting bodies to publish the code “without further undue delay.”
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
