British soccer clubs might be prohibited from carrying advertisements for online casino companies on their shirts.
British Sports Minister Richard Caborn said Thursday that the government's Gambling Commission will investigate whether these kinds of sponsorships are permissible under laws that prohibit targeting children by gambling-related advertisements.
The current law states that it is illegal for gambling companies to target children with their advertisements. Since soccer is a popular sport with extensive media exposure and is widely viewed by children, the Gambling Commission aims to examine whether the gambling companies who sponsor soccer teams by advertising on shirts are in violation of this law.
Several Companies such as 888.com, 32 Red, Bet24 and Mansion are sponsoring soccer teams and advertise on their shirts, which puts them at risk of losing deals with Premiership clubs if a ban is introduced, while the clubs face loosing multi-million pound sponsorships.
Sports Minister Richard Caborn said on Thursday that the question is whether, given the coverage of Premiership soccer on television, these kinds of shirt sponsorships should be regarded as advertising on TV.
Caborn also said that he is fully aware of the concerns over the sponsorship deals with soccer clubs and that the Gambling Commission will consult on the matter in the New Year.
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