A call for evidence regarding tougher measures in the U.K. gambling industry which is set to expire in March 2021 is reported to be coming to a conclusion with the U.K. legislators appearing determined to proceed with serious reform. Insiders suggest that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is likely to impose a ban on gambling sponsorship deals with football clubs by the fall of 2021.
Those officials who participated in the gambling industry review were showing concerns that the time of such a move would impede the cash flow involving sports teams during the covid-19 pandemic situation. Suspending gambling service firms from contributing to sponsorships of football teams would incur a serious shortfall of £110 million every year only in the English Premier League (EPL) and the Championship.
The government’s decision is dependent on the evidence gathered during the investigative process involving problem gambling addiction and the local wagering industry. It has been said that 66 percent of local punters support a ban on football kit sponsorship deals.
The head of the group that led the gambling harm review, MP Carolyn Harris said common sense should prevail over greed, because gambling sponsorship deals were not the only way for funding football clubs. The covid-19 crisis has moved many U.K. gamblers who were sports fans now to bet online with little decline in volume even though sports were not available. Online slots have filled the gap, which have seen an increased interest by punters in the U.K.
Professor Kate Hunt at the University of Stirling produced a study recently that revealed 17.3% of male punters and 16.6% of female punters started to bet on new gambling services in the first Covid-19 lockdown. GambleAware had previously found that about 1.4 million people are classified as gambling addicts. Public opinion now favours a full ban on gambling shirt sponsorships in order to protect vulnerable players.
