As the review of the 2005 U.K. Gambling Act winds down, it’s almost a certainty that a ban on sports betting and gambling firms advertising on shirts will follow.
So, what sources of revenue will offer a decent replacement?
Speaking to SBC Leaders, Dean Akinjobi, CEO of Football Media, and Imogen Moss, a solicitor and gambling regulation expert at Poppleston Allen, offered their take.
Both football clubs and gambling companies should be taking actions and have contingency plans at the ready,” Akinjobi said.
“Stakeholders within football clubs should be exploring other categories of sponsorship opportunities, while also working with existing gambling sponsors on partnership strategies that will enable them to reach audiences in new and emerging markets, using marketing and advertising assets outside of the U.K.,” he said.
Clubs seeking to fill the financial void left behind and the increasing number of teams releasing fan tokens on cryptocurrency sites, an influx on crypto trading sponsors could emerge, many with no regulation, according to SBC News.
Travel and tourism is another potential territory, he said.
“It’s important to note that there are already strict rules regarding advertising and marketing that apply to gambling business that include making sure that advertisements and marketing material are not of particular appeal to children or young people, such as being associated with youth culture particularly if the advert/marketing is freely accessible,” Akinjobi said.
That eliminates certain colors and cartoons, for example. Responsible gambling groups have concerns about those underage exposed to marketing and ad campaigns, he said
In March 2021, English Football League Chairman, Rick Parry, argued given the difficult year that sports had in 2020/21, clubs face a loss of an estimated £1.6 billion of revenue due to Covid.
“This includes exploring other sponsorship categories to working on strategies with existing betting sponsors on how they can help them to reach audiences using clubs channels that are targeted to emerging betting markets, such as Africa, India, Latin America, and the U.S.”
Moss says a balanced approach can be achieved. “There are many types of gambling advertising and a blanket approach by the government would seem out of balance with the issues that they have highlighted, also any decisions made would need to have their foundations in robust evidence.”
“There are large gambling groups that provide help to fund grassroots football for example, which is of huge importance to the game,” Moss said. “There has been commentary about the prospect of introducing a gambling levy in order to fund grassroots football, but this has been met with a lot of criticism, with some suggesting this would make the links between gambling and football too close.
