Coming hot off the heels of a series of betting deals, English football has agreed terms on a code of conduct governing such partnerships, covering all levels of both the men’s and women’s professional game.
The code will apply to any betting partnerships engaged in by the clubs of the Football Association (FA), including the Premier League, the English Football League (EFL) and the Women’s Super League (WSL).
Clubs will be required to safeguard the game based around the principles of protection, social responsibility, reinvestment and integrity. Implementation of the code was a requirement of the Gambling Act review, the White Paper of which was published by the government in April last year.
Throughout the duration of the review – which was nearly three years in the making – sponsorship arrangements were a hotly contested issue. After the Premier League opted to voluntarily ban front-of-shirt sponsorships from the 2024/25 season onwards, the review’s authors opted to implement the code of conduct as its chief recommendation in this area.
A collective statement from England’s football leagues read: “Following detailed cross-sport dialogue, the following code has been drafted by the Premier League, The English Football League, the Women’s Super League, and the FA as part of that commitment, to be applied across all of professional football and those matches played by clubs who are members of the competitions.”
Although the government’s primary response to the fiercely debated topic of gambling shirt sponsorships, the code of conduct was not entirely well received by reform advocates. Many wanted government regulations to go further, with some calling for an outright ban on any forms of sponsorship between sports clubs and bookmakers.
The code has a much narrower scope than this. However, it still holds football clubs to some significant standards on gambling sponsorship, such as where marketing can be displayed and viewed within a stadium.
On protection, the code states that clubs must commit to minimise the exposure of gambling sponsorships in stadiums and during match days and that promotion remains limited on club websites and social media channels.
The code will also implement specific provisions on social responsibility, including that clubs offer player counselling on gambling addiction and risks, and establish appropriate channels for stakeholders to raise concerns about any Gambling Related Agreements.
Principles on reinvestment detailed that gambling sponsorship funds must be safeguarded for activities delivered by associated charitable organisations, for the public benefit to promote participation in sport and advance social development.
Lastly, clubs and competitions must ensure that staff and athletes are informed on The FA’s betting rules. These rules prohibit betting directly or indirectly on football matches or competitions worldwide and betting on wider markets related to football.
Education programmes should be provided, including specific programmes tailored for younger footballers within Club Academies, as measures aim to maintain the integrity of football across all levels of competition.
The leagues’ joint statement concluded: “English Football is committed to ensuring that gambling sponsorship is undertaken in a socially responsible manner, and that the output of Gambling Related Agreements is suitably reinvested back into football and its communities.
“The Code recognises that the relationship between gambling and football must be conducted responsibly to protect supporters from gambling-related harm, as well as wider communities linked to football clubs across the country.”
The code’s publication comes in the aftermath of a number of betting deals signed within English football, some of which have received an icy reception from football fan segments online.
Crystal Palace has partnered with Net88, Wolverhampton Wanderers with DE.BET and BetMGM, Southampton with Rollbit. BetMGM UK has been particularly active, maintaining partnerships with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Outside football, the racing industry has similarly adopted a Code of Conduct in the context of Gambling Act White Paper requirements. Published by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the Code is similar to that adopted by football in that it aims to govern the sport’s sponsorship relationships with betting in a responsible manner. It has been developed as a joint-effort between the BHA, Racecourse Association (RA), Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), and other racing stakeholders.
The racing code will require racing stakeholders to reinvest earnings from sponsorship into the sport, maintain racing’s integrity, commit to protecting children and young people, and ensure that betting promotion is undertaken in a socially responsible way.
“British racing’s code sets out how racing will adopt these principles in a way which fits with the characteristics of our sport and our unique relationship with betting,” the BHA explained.
“Implementation of this code will be done in conjunction with implementation of the existing Sponsorship Framework for Racehorse Owners and the Jockeys Sponsorship Code.
“British racing will work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on monitoring the impact and level of compliance with the measures set out in the Code. An operational review of the Code will be undertaken after twelve months to address any issues learned from the implementation process.”
Sponsorship is a vital source of income to the UK horse racing industry. The sport has been facing financial difficulties in recent years, exacerbated by the absence of spectators during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning revenue from the betting industry via sponsorships and yearly levy payments has become even more vital.
