The UK Government has revealed that the long-awaited white paper that is expected to propose sweeping changes to the gambling industry will be published in the coming weeks.
Government will reject mandatory football kit sponsorship ban in favour of a voluntary scheme
However, reports suggest that one recommendation the government is expected to reject is a ban on gambling sponsorship on football shirts. This was believed to have been one of the primary proposals in the white paper and considered to be a major step in tackling the effects of problem gambling. But the government will instead opt for a voluntary scheme that will see football clubs opt to remove gambling sponsorships from their kits and limit the exposure of gambling advertising to fans.
Gambling activity on the rise
The UK Gambling Commission released figures earlier this year that show online gambling is at its highest rate in history with as many as one in four people placing wagers online.
The research, which was released earlier in April 2022, stated that 25.7% of people aged 16 or over had placed wagers online in the prior four weeks leading up to the survey. This was up from 18.5% across the previous five years. Much of this can be attributed to the pandemic and the forced closure of retail gambling properties.
