Football could “do without” gambling, said Lord Dominic Hubbard, 6th Baron Addington, as he proposed four amendments to the Football Governance Bill.
The Liberal Democrat, who is also Vice President of the UK Sports Association, suggested four changes to the Football Governance Bill on 11 March – legislation that seeks to improve the governance and regulation of English football.
During the debate, Lord Hubbard acknowledged that sports such as horseracing “tend to be dependent” on gambling, but raised concerns about the volume of gambling advertisements on televisions.
“In these amendments, I am suggesting that football might be one place we could do without it,” he said. “The revenue might be very useful to the clubs involved, but we have already heard about the huge reach of football as a subject, and the fact that there is a huge demand for it. Can we not get rid of gambling here?”
While his worries are shared by some football stakeholders, he was reminded that this Bill may not be the place to put such important legislation by Labour peer Baroness Taylor of Bolton.
She stated: “I am not sure that this is the vehicle for what he actually wants to do.
“I am personally not against gambling, per se, but I am against some of the tactics used by gambling companies to suck people into becoming addicted and gambling more than they can afford.”
Baroness Taylor went on to highlight that this is a bigger issue than just football and though it isn’t the right Bill it is important to be aware of the problem.
A wider football conversation
Lord Hubbard’s proposed amendments will unlikely make the final draft of the Bill, but it did spark an interesting debate.
A key focus of the Bill is ensuring financial sustainability across the footballing pyramid, with particular attention on smaller clubs. This includes addressing the growing financial divide between the Premier League and lower divisions, a gap that has widened in recent seasons.
The challenge in creating legislation for both the Premier League and lower divisions is that the Premier League’s immense value and global influence often complicate efforts to implement rules that would apply equally across all levels.
Any measures that would ensure the Premier League’s long-term sustainability might inadvertently limit its growth and the investment it brings to the country – something the UK Prime Minister is keen to avoid in his efforts to boost economic growth.
By taking aim at all gambling sponsorships in football this would only widen that gap, a point raised by Baroness Fos of Buckley.
“One of the aims of the Bill is that the football regulator will help clubs, particularly smaller clubs, become financially sustainable and avoid financial jeopardy,” she said.
“That has been a compelling and convincing argument for this Bill. So why would we cut off a perfectly legitimate source of funding in the form of lucrative sponsorship, which is what these amendments would do?”
