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The Premier League has announced that gambling companies will no longer be able to sponsor the front of a match-day shirts, limiting them to just 438 sponsorship opportunities in the nation’s most-watched sporting competition.
Clubs have agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts, in a move that they hope will curtail attempts to ban their biggest cash cow.
The move has been welcomed by fans who recognise how harmful gambling can be.
Simon Williams told us, “This is a great move, but I can’t help but wonder if maybe the could have removed gambling sponsors from a couple of other high-profile areas of the game, instead of just the one? It’s better than nothing, but not by much.”
However, a spokesperson for the gambling industry was less happy, and have warned against further measures, telling us, “How will gambling companies possibly survive when all that’s available to them now is sleeve sponsorship, or shorts sponsorship, or training gear sponsorship, or programme sponsorship, or sponsoring hoardings, or sponsoring adverts during matches, or sponsoring club websites, or sponsoring club events, or sponsoring social media score updates, or any of the other less important sponsorship opportunities available with premier league clubs?
“This is killing our industry and your restrictions should definitely stop there. You will have to pry those in-match Ray Winstone adverts from my cold dead hands.”
