Research indicates that Premier League fans are experiencing nearly three times as much gambling advertising compared to the previous season.
A report led by the University of Bristol revealed that football fans are inundated with gambling marketing across various channels, including TV, radio and social media during live match broadcasts and news coverage.
During a single weekend, nearly 30,000 gambling messages (29,145) were recorded, almost tripling the 10,999 messages noted during the same timeframe last year.
Co-lead author Dr Raffaello Rossi, a marketing researcher from the University of Bristol, said: “This new evidence shows how much the industry is out of control – with gambling ads now flooding Premier League coverage.
“Just a few months ago, a new code of conduct was published by the industry to curb marketing during football events, but the policy has had no impact on the volume whatsoever. It’s clear that the industry’s attempt to self-regulate is wholly inadequate and tokenistic.
“Despite having had years to put in place effective measures to protect consumers, the gambling industry continues to prioritise profit over safety.”
During live broadcasts of six Premier League matches, research revealed that the number of gambling messages – including logos and advertisements – skyrocketed from 6,966 last year to 23,690 this year, marking a staggering 240% increase.
The report found that the match between West Ham United and Aston Villa had the highest volume, featuring 6,491 gambling messages, which averages out to about 30 messages per minute. Previously, studies indicated that gambling messages peaked at approximately 3,500 per match.
These figures, although alarming to many supporters, are not surprising. For instance, West Ham’s front-of-shirt sponsor is gambling company Betway and Aston Villa’s is betting brand Betano.
Regarding other matches, there will be a notable rise in gambling messaging stemming from front-of-shirt sponsorship deals, as clubs seek to maximise revenue from the gambling industry before the impending ban on such sponsorships at the end of next season.
Additionally, the study examined coverage on Sky Sports News, TalkSport radio, and gambling advertisements on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and X. Each of these channels has established its own gambling-related sponsorship agreements and it is very unlikely that a person would be using all of these channels at the same time.
The next steps
Nevertheless, the research does raise concerns that regulation is failing to combat the rising amount of gambling advertisements.
Rossi added: “It’s more than a failure of policy – it’s a failure to protect the public and the problem has been allowed to proliferate unchecked. We must stop relying on ineffective self-regulation, which is designed to fail, and use existing legislation to restrict gambling marketing like most of our European counterparts. The Secretary of State has all the legal authority to act on this now.”
Rossi is not the only one holding this view, and this situation may accelerate the establishment of an independent football regulator by the current government. Football governing bodies like UEFA have cautioned the UK against such a move.
Currently, there is no sign that the Labour government intends to build upon the reforms initiated by the Conservative government. It seems that Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy‘s DCMS will allow the Gambling Act review reforms to proceed as planned.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, former Vice Chair of the Gambling Harms All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), stated: “This appalling evidence shows us that, as I warned previously, the industry could not be trusted to regulate itself. Sadly, the regulators are toothless and as a result we are all being flooded with adverts that the vast majority of us do not want to see.
“Enough is enough. This Government and the Gambling Commission must act swiftly to deliver regulation capable of meaningfully reducing exposure to gambling advertising and help save lives.”
