English rugby league has become the latest major sport in the country to publicise its code of conduct governing the future of its sponsorship deals with the betting sector.
The Rugby Football League (RFL) published the code in line with the provisions laid out by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the industry standards body for UK betting and gaming. The BGC’s code was developed in cooperation with several sports stakeholders across football, rugby and racing, and others.
The code follows four core principles – protection of children and young people, social responsibility, reinvestment in sport and maintaining sporting integrity.
English rugby league clubs will design sponsorship to appeal to those over 18, promote such deals in a responsible manner, use commercial revenue to invest in infrastructure and programmes that support fans and communities, and must conduct sponsorships in a way that does not risk the integrity of the sport.
“These new measures are good for sport, the gambling industry and fans,” said Robert Hicks, the RFL’s Director of Operations and Legal.
“Rugby League and our long-standing partner Betfred have worked closely for a number of years to ensure that any sponsorship funds are reinvested back into the sport at all levels.
“This was evidenced further when Betfred supported the purchase of a bespoke wheelchair rugby league pitch. We both remain committed to maintaining sporting integrity and safer gambling and this Code reflects that commitment to continue raising standards.”
The Gambling Act review White Paper, published in April last year, mandated a code of conduct for sponsorship deals between betting operators and sports associations as one of its flagship measures. In the year since, the BGC has developed its own code and standards for operators to follow, and sports associations have followed suit.
The RFL is the fourth to do so, following the Football Association (FA), Premier League, English Football League (EFL) and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Although the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) has not yet done so, CEO Neil Doncaster tells Insider Sport that it is watching developments in England closely.
Like football, rugby league has long standing associations with betting. Betfred has been the flaghsiop sponsor of the RFL Super League and Women’s Super League or many years, with the company founded in Salford and headquartered in Warrington – two of the sport’s heartland cities in the North of England.
Although not quite as proliferant as football – eight out of 20 Premier League teams had a betting sponsor in the 2023/24 season – club sponsorships also occur in rugby league. Wigan Warriors, for example, has partnered with 188Bet, Coral and Mecca Bingo.
The debate around sponsorships during the Gambling Act review was intense at times, with some reform advocates calling for a full ban on betting front-of-shirt sponsorships. However, some stakeholders in football and rugby in particular were concerned about the potential loss of revenue for clubs.
Many reform advocates were disappointed with the Gambling Act review’s judgements, seeing the White Paper as not going far enough. The recently introduced codes of conduct, however, show that leagues, clubs and bookmakers are working to ensure marketing is carried out as responsibly as possible.
