Half of Premier League clubs breach code on gambling advertising to children | Gambling

Half of Premier League football clubs advertise gambling on websites aimed at or featuring under-18s, raising concerns over a voluntary code of conduct drawn up with the help of the gambling industry.

A study into gambling regulation published last year found that English football clubs no longer faced any new government-imposed restrictions affecting their betting sponsorship revenues.

Instead, Premier League clubs have voluntarily signed up to ban logos from the front of their shirts from 2026 and signed up to new sponsorship rules drawn up in conjunction with the gambling industry lobby group the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

The measure was intended to show that clubs and gambling companies are acting responsibly, given concerns about the promotion of gambling in the football world and the impact this can have on young people and vulnerable people.

But 10 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs appeared to be breaking their own code on Monday, with at least two clubs showing members of their under-18 teams wearing shirts with betting logos despite being minors.

The findings have raised concerns among campaigners, including former ITV football commentator Clive Tyldesley and former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, about allowing clubs to set their own rules on gambling sponsorship.

The voluntary code, published in July, states that clubs must ensure that “no gambling sponsor logos (…) are included in any material or part of a website specifically designed for viewing or use by children”.

But according to an analysis by the Guardian and The Pitch Inspection, an online football research magazine, betting logos do appear on the pages of club shops aimed at children, on football content for under-18s and even on pages dedicated to ‘junior’ fan forums and mascots.

Two clubs, Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers, placed betting logos at the bottom of the children’s section of their online merchandise store.

Although the logo on Brentford’s website did not link to the website of sponsors Hollywood Bets, anyone browsing the children’s section of the Wolves club shop could click straight through to sponsor Debet, which offers casino games and betting on virtual, computer-generated sports.

On Everton’s website, a news page about the club’s “junior fans’ forum”, for children aged 11-17, links to sponsor company Stake.com, as does the under-18s squad page, where two members of the team were seen wearing the online casino’s branding on their shirts. Both are under 18 and would not be allowed to wear the logo in a competitive match.

Everton FC has previously come under fire for its promotion of cryptocurrency gambling giant Stake.com, asking the sponsor in 2022 to remove club branding amid a row over the betting company’s advertising tactics.

A member of Aston Villa’s under-18 team was also pictured with the logo of sponsor Betano. The photo has since been removed.

Recently promoted Ipswich Town have added a link to 8xbet on their under 18s page, another dedicated to young fan initiatives and another dedicated to junior fan experiences, including a page where fans can sign up to become a matchday mascot.

Several clubs, including Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City, linked to gambling sponsors from pages dedicated to under-18 football.

Pages on Chelsea FC’s website featuring under-18 matches and a youth team highlights page contain links to the website of their sponsor Betway.

Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Wolves, Leicester City, Brentford and Ipswich removed links or images after being contacted by the Guardian. Betway said it had “zero interest” in marketing to under-18s and had informed Chelsea of ​​the issue.

On Wednesday afternoon, Newcastle United’s website still linked to the websites of three betting sponsors on pages about the under-18s and youth academy, which target children aged nine and up.

And on Nottingham Forest’s website, branding and links to the club’s gambling sponsor, Kaiyun Sports, were featured in a section of the site dedicated to the girls’ academy, a programme for girls aged under 10 to under 16.

Tyldesley said: “I’d like to say I’m surprised, but I’m not. We’re seeing more and more examples of how we can’t rely on operators, football clubs, TV channels to regulate themselves.”

Duncan Smith, who co-chairs a parliamentary group investigating gambling harm, said: “The problem with codes of conduct in the gambling industry is that they just ignore them and carry on damaging lives.”

In September 2022, Betway was fined over £400,000 after the club’s logo was found on a page of West Ham’s website, where young fans were invited to colour in a teddy bear.

Charles Ritchie, of campaign group Gambling With Lives, said new concerns about gambling logos being linked to content aimed at minors indicated “nothing has been learned”.

“The gambling industry continues to use football clubs to ensure young fans are just a click away from harmful products,” he added.

All logos and links assessed by The Guardian and The Pitch Inspection appeared in the header or footer sections of club websites and are reproduced on every page.

However, several clubs, including Manchester United, have ensured that gambling links have been removed from pages that could appeal to children.

The Premier League said it was working with clubs to implement the code and that the Independent Football Ombudsman would review any unresolved complaints.