Key takeaways from the debate on gambling advertising in UK sport

A small selection of MPs gathered in Westminster Hall yesterday afternoon, 13 March, for an hour to discuss gambling advertising in sport.

The debate was tabled by Ronnie Cowan, SNP MP for Inverclyde, and the session mostly centred around ads in football, as the fervour around advertising in the Premier League continues to ramp up.

Several regulations have been put in place in order to stem the number of ads being seen by not only adults but young children, including the whistle-to-whistle ban and the incoming voluntary ban of front-of-shirt sponsorships in the Premier League.

Plenty of suggestions were made by MPs, from specific ad-free areas in football stadiums to the banning of pitch side advertising and replica shirts being sold without adorned gambling logos.

Below, EGR analyses the several contributions made by MPs during the session.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green

Smith argued that the voluntary agreements with the gambling industry have been a “waste of time” as operators are “driven by the requirement” to find new players, and accused them of targeting people who lose large amounts of money.

A Tottenham Hotspur season ticket holder, the former leader of the Conservatives said that while the club do not have a front-of-shirt gambling sponsor, other teams voluntarily removing the prime position on their shirts will make little difference to the cause as it can simply be situated elsewhere.

“I’m not against people betting. If they want to bet and gamble, do that. The question is whether we want to see this promoted in such a way that it becomes quite normal. I think all of this is the critical issue we’re talking about today.

“I know the idea is to move it away from the front of the shirt to the side, but most of the evidence shows categorically that it makes no difference, because the marketing will still be on the shirts that people buy. The company that the club has its sponsor becomes part of the nature of the club. That is important,” he added.

Smith highlighted that it is not the gambling industry’s way to abide by agreements made in the past, and called on the ASA to consider creating new codes instead of revising the ones already in place.

“I am not one of those who wants to regulate everything, stop everything and take the pleasure out of what people want to choose to do.

“My view, however, is as with common law; when it is clear that harm is being done, we have an obligation to see if we can restrict that harm so people’s lives aren’t damaged. That’s it. Not before not anticipating the event but actually dealing with the harm that exists at present.

“The push of gambling advertising is huge and nobody who watches television or watches a sporting event can escape the idea that this is there in front of them, even subliminally.

“Unless advertising reform is enacted at the source or the point of harm, the reforms will be confined to playing catch up to the constantly evolving landscape of sponsorship marketing and advertising and constantly failing to reduce gambling-related harms.”

Rachel Hopkins, Labour MP for Luton South

In keeping with the other MPs, Hopkins began her contribution to the debate with a statistic. “Almost 7,000 gambling messages were shown in six televised matches over the Premier League’s opening weekend.”

However, she added that the purpose of her speech wasn’t to oppose gambling as she herself would be betting on The Grand National plus her partner places bets on accumulators.

Instead, she proposed the banning of pitch-side advertising to be introduced alongside the Premier League’s incoming voluntary ban on front-of-shirt sponsorship.

Much of Hopkins’ speech centred around the recent bans in football, naming Brentford’s Ivan Toney who was handed a 10-month ban, Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali who is currently serving an eight-month suspension, and Nottingham Forrest’s Harry Toffolo who was given a suspended five-month ban, as examples of the harm gambling can do to those involved in the sport.

“The current gambling regulations are failing the public and there’s no sign of change to protect the next generation that we’ve heard from others. The industry’s voluntary whistle-to-whistle ban in football is completely inactive as it only applies to TV adverts.

“I’d like to ask Minister Cowen what measures the government is considering in curtailing gambling advertising in sport, especially in football?

“I reiterate the points already made that this is a public health issue. So, just like measures to reduce advertising of cigarettes to tackle smoking harms, would the minister as a first step consider a view into banning pitch-side advertising in football to reduce gambling harm? I look forward to hearing the minister’s response.”

Paul Blomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central

Using big tobacco companies as an example, Blomfield argued that football makes sufficient money from other sponsorships and doesn’t need money from gambling firms.

He made the point that while the government recently stated that online slots are one of the most addictive products, they are still allowed to be promoted via football.

In the government’s white paper, it was proposed that football grounds have gambling and ad-free sections for families but,12 months later, there has been no change, Blomfield pointed out.

While football will argue that the money is needed to sustain the game and filter down to the lower leagues and grassroots football, Blomfield said the money is not distributed well enough and the government needs to interject by ending gambling advertising in sport.

“We need more effective governing. We need more of the money at the top to be shared right down the tiers of football.

“Football does not depend, other sports do not depend, on the money from [gambling] advertising. I urge the government to heed the wealth of evidence that supports the need for regulatory action to again deploy the precautionary approach as with fixed-odds betting terminals, because without action the department risks undermining the good progress that can be made from the white paper.

“Sport is so important. It’s hugely important to children and young people. It’s a force for so much good. We can’t let it be used anymore by the gambling industry for so much harm. Let’s end advertising and sponsorship in sport without delay.”

Stephanie Peacock, Labour MP for Barnsley East

A number of suggestions were made to further regulate gambling advertising in sport, with Peacock suggesting there should be a main code for all sports and their respective individual bodies to enact more specific rules.

Highlighting that revenue from gambling sponsorship is crucial to some sports, Peacock added that the amount of ads shown is an issue to children and those vulnerable to problem gambling as they cannot opt out.

Setting a timeframe for this proposed code – in time for the first anniversary of the white paper – Peacock said it could include replica kits being made available to purchase without gambling logos, sponsors that promote safer gambling and, like previous MP’s suggestions, an ad-free zone inside stadiums.

She said: “I understand that as part of the development process there will initially be one main code to cover all sporting bodies.

“After this, each governing body will be able to develop a short sport-specific code, whether that be for racing, cricket, football or others. However, there has been no sign of the main code, let alone sports-specific commitments.

“I’d like to ask Minister Cowan today whether we will call on the governing bodies to publish the code without further delay, perhaps in time for the first anniversary of the white paper.

“This is something the Culture, Media and Sports committee recommended in their report published last year, to which the government has yet to respond. This is a concern, as without the code the white paper seems to hardly address the relationship between gambling and sport.

“It is only through a combination of measures – from powers and the Gambling Commission to crack down on the black market to the measures that restrict bonus and free bet offers –that we will bring a regulation into the modern age and better protect people from gambling-related harm.”