Gambling Commission gets tough on football sponsorships
UKGC teams up with ASA and CAP to clampdown on advertising and shirt sponsorships
The Gambling Commission (UKGC), in concert with the Advertising Standards Authority and Committees of Advertising Practice, have republished its guidance to “remind licensees of some of the key rules and requirements relating to gambling advertising and sport sponsorship.”
It comes amid increasing concerns about the role that gambling companies play in English football, with both the NHS and GambleAware calling for greater responsibility from both operators and football clubs alike.
The guidance provided to operators and published on the Gambling Commission website, covers five areas: advertising on football club websites, logos on football shirts being used by under-18 teams, terms and conditions, advertising to under 18s and greater scrutiny on advertising and problem gambling.
The jointly issued guidance states that operators must make sure their adverts or sponsorship links do not appear on football website pages that are targeted at children. For example, the junior sections of the club’s website. Inclusion of gambling logos on football shirts being used by under-18 teams is expressly prohibited.
In February the UKGC issued a clampdown on misleading terms and conditions on gambling websites, which they have now reiterated with this latest guidance, calling operators to ensure their promotions are not misleading and comply with recent Competition and Markets Authority findings.
Additional areas where the three agencies have reiterated regulations include advertising which appeals to under 18s in which guidance states that it “is not acceptable for gambling websites to display freely accessible ads, which feature images that are likely to appeal particularly to under 18s.”
The final area of guidance is aimed at ensuring that Gambling advertising does not appeal to or target problem gamblers. This includes advertising that creates an inappropriate sense of urgency, such as “Bet Now!” during live events, and undue emphasis on money-motives to gamble.