Premier League contacted clubs on Monday to propose a resolution that would see betting companies disappear from teams’ shirts within the next three years.
Under the proposal, a voluntary ban would come into effect at the start of the new season but would allow existing deals to run their course, providing they expire no later than the 2024-25 campaign.
The proposal comes ahead of the publication of a white paper which is expected to recommend sweeping changes within the gambling industry. One of those recommendations is expected to be an outright ban on gambling sponsorship in football.
If/when the #EPL clubs self regulate to ‘ban’ gambling shirt sponsors, they’ll just move quickly to #crypto, #NFT or alternative #finance and #trading sponsors.
These carry equal or greater risks than #gambling
See Italy and Spain. pic.twitter.com/akGCfhDXQW
— Gambling Insight (@GamblingInsight) July 4, 2022
The issue is a sensitive one for English football’s leading clubs because so many of them have become reliant on revenue from the gambling sector.
Almost half of Premier League clubs, including Newcastle United and West Ham, were sponsored by betting companies last season, although the Magpies are likely to secure a replacement for Fun88 after the coming campaign.
Last season’s other shirt sponsors included SpreadEx Sport at West Ham, Hollywood Bet at Brentford andSportsbet.io at Southampton.
