Ten of the 20 clubs in the English Premier League have broken a voluntary code on gambling sponsorship. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Code breached

Half of England’s Premier League clubs are in breach of a code on gambling advertising aimed at children.

The code was signed by Premier League clubs last year, after a Department for Culture, Media and Sport review on gambling stopped short of introducing new restrictions on gambling advertising in soccer.

Instead, clubs voluntarily agreed to sign the new rules on sponsorship and to abandon front-of-shirt gambling sponsors by 2026.

ten of the 20 Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Chelsea, have not followed the code

However, UK newspaper The Guardian has reported that ten of the 20 Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Chelsea, have not followed the code when it comes to advertising to under-18s.

Clubs at fault

Eleven of the 20 Premier League clubs display gambling sponsors on their shirts during matches, although these are illegal for under-18s fixtures, as well as in some European competitions where laws in other countries forbid the practice.

Everton and Aston Villa showed players in their under-18s squad wearing shirts with gambling sponsors on them, while others breached the code in other ways.

Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers included betting logos at the bottom of the children’s section of their online merchandise store, while a page on Everton’s website related to the “junior fan’s forum” for 11–17-year-olds linked to their Stake.com sponsor.

Newcastle, Liverpool, and Chelsea, meanwhile, were among a slew of clubs who linked to betting sponsors from sections on their websites devoted to youth soccer.

Chelsea sponsor Betway stated that it had “zero interest” in marketing to minors

Many of the clubs involved removed the images after being contacted by The Guardian, while Chelsea sponsor Betway stated that it had “zero interest” in marketing to minors and was in contact with the club over the issue.

Other clubs, including Manchester United, were named as having taken steps to ensure a separation between any gambling links and content aimed at children.

Campaigners respond

The news drew significant criticism from campaigners and figures in the world of soccer who have criticized the sport’s closeness to gambling companies.

we cannot rely on operators, football clubs, TV channels to regulate themselves”

Commentator Clive Tyldesley, who recently spoke at a summit on gambling reform in London, said: “I’d like to say that I’m surprised but I’m not. We are coming across more and more examples of how we cannot rely on operators, football clubs, TV channels to regulate themselves.”

Campaign group Gambling With Lives spokesperson Charles Ritchie also stated that the findings showed that since the 2023 report, “nothing’s been learned”.

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