UK Unhappy Over Online Gambling Sponsors?

Published: Friday, December 08, 2006 Online-Casinos.com

BRIT GOVERNMENT COULD GET SHIRTY OVER ONLINE GAMBLING SPONSORSHIPS

40 minute House of Commons debate ignites soccer shirt sponsorship debate

A 40 minute debate raised by a Brit Labour MP in the House of Commons Thursday on football shirt sponsorship, mobile gambling and the absence of prosecutions for breaches of current gambling regulations, grabbed the headlines the following day.

During the forty minute sitting, also attended by Minister for Sport Richard Caborn, Labour MP Ben Chapman said that he did not wish to see the UK turn into a centre for online gambling, and that "many operators are looking to Britain to fill the void left by the US."

Chapman quoted the BBC's recent Panorama documentary (see previous Online-Casinos.com/InfoPowa reports) as illustrative of the potential he saw for gambling addiction to "grow significantly" without "more and better restrictions." Chapman particularly emphasised his concerns for the young, saying: "We need to ensure mobile phone credit can't be used to stake money."

The Labour MP expanded his argument by saying he was also worried about football shirt sponsorships and internet site links.

Referring to what he called the "proliferation" of sponsorship deals, he said: "A big part of this is attracting customers, not only from competitors, but from those who have never gambled." Chapman added: "The glamorous nature of top-flight football means we should be extra cautious about allowing gambling companies to be associated with it."

Caborn responded in a speech which highlighted his department's commitment to a "modern and flexible licensing regime". Caborn referred to the 1968 Gambling Act as "draconian", yet he also said he too felt "concerns" about shirt sponsorship, and said the Gambling Commission would be looking into the issue in the New Year.

Caborn said "regulation, not prohibition" would protect children from the "harmful effects of gambling".

Middlesbrough (888.com), Tottenham (Mansion), Blackburn and Leeds (Bet24) and Aston Villa (32 Red) all have shirt deals with online gambling operators.

The BBC reported that gambling firms have been particularly keen to strike deals with Premiership football clubs because of the heavy media exposure the Premiership attracts. "Premiership matches are shown all over the world in over 220 countries," Nigel Currie, of sports marketing consultants Brand Rapport, told the broadcaster.

The developments will be causing alarm at the affected clubs, claims the BBC as large sums of money are at stake. Tottenham's Mansion deal, for example, signed pre-season 2006/07, is worth GBP 34 million over four years.

Reporting on the issue, The Guardian sport section claimed that under the new rules, to be introduced next September, the position on such sponsorship remains unclear. The story says that the particular concern is with the popularity of replica shirts among children.

Any ban would bring the UK into line with France, where gaming companies cannot advertise unless they have a French licence.

At present, only two French betting monopolies have been awarded licences in that country, leading to complications and the arrest in September this year of two executives from the Austrian public company Bwin, which was sponsoring a Monaco football club at the time.