The FSA recently released the results of its annual survey, gathering the opinions of fans from the 2022-23 season. Out of the 10,000 fans surveyed, 73% expressed concerns about the prevalence of gambling advertising in football.
In response to the survey, The Big Step campaign, which aims to eliminate all gambling advertising in football, highlighted the unpopularity of such sponsorships among fans. A spokesperson for the campaign stated that the survey confirmed the strong dislike for ads promoting addictive and harmful products in the beautiful game.
Across the globe, various organizations and governments are putting an end to all forms of gambling advertising. It is now time for football clubs and authorities in the UK to listen to their fans and take similar actions.
Regarding the English Premier League, clubs in the top division agreed in April to cease gambling sponsorships on matchday shirts. This ban will come into effect after the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. Existing deals with operators can continue until then, but new partnerships must be finalized before the ban takes effect.
Despite this ban, some Premier League clubs have still opted for shirt deals with gambling brands for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Fulham, for example, recently announced a new main shirt sponsorship agreement with betting operator SBOTOP. Burnley, another newly promoted team, also secured a one-year shirt sponsorship deal with W88. Additionally, Aston Villa extended their shirt sponsorship deal with Asia-facing operator BK8 until the end of the 2025-26 season.
On the other hand, Newcastle United decided to downgrade their partnership with offshore operator Fun88. Fun88 had been the club’s principal partner since the 2017-18 season.
