Research Group Requests Further DCMS Action Over Gambling Sponsorships

A leading public health research consortium is clamouring for greater action from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) to curb the influence of gambling sponsorships in sport more widely.

The DCMS recently wrapped up its eight-week consultation in which it proposed banning Premier League clubs and sports teams more generally speaking from clinching deals with black market sites.

However, Local Health and Global Profits (LHGP), a research group funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), thinks the scope of the ban should be extended to include regulated sites.

What are the LHGP asking for?

LHGP, which has partnered with several UK universities, including Cambridge and Edinburgh, has been exacting with its demands. It attests that while the DCMS’ proposal is necessary, it should go further to reduce gambling-related harm.

Their response to the DCMS consultation leaned into the “balloon effect”, whereby companies redirect marketing spend into less regulated channels when one route is more limited. Therefore, the LHGP believes the DCMS’ suggested ban should cover the following:

• Both licensed and unlicensed operators. A reduction in gambling-related harm will only be achieved through a reduction in the total volume of advertising exposure, rather than merely reshuffling of where that exposure comes from.
• Gambling advertising on online and digital platforms should be barred. Companies are using data-driven and “nudge” tactics, giving operators "disproportionate power” to spark more regular gambling.

Evidence speaks loudly

According to LHGP, the marketing tactics used by regulated gambling companies have been more pervasive. Their data showed that during the opening weekend of the Premier League season, over 27,000 gambling messages were identified, with more than 5,000 covered in a single match. This, in turn, translated to roughly a third of a live broadcast featuring at least one gambling ad.

Added to that, LHGP is concerned that gambling is increasingly becoming a public health issue in England. They noted that one in nine people are directly or indirectly harmed by gambling, while there as many as 496 gambling-related suicides happening each year.

As such, the evidence, according to LHGP, indicates a “dose-response relationship” between exposure to gambling advertising and betting behaviour. Essentially, the more people hear or see gambling adverts, the more likely they will gamble and be exposed to potential harm.

Gambling sponsorship debate intensifies

It seems that the discourse over gambling sponsorship in sport has intensified lately. Last week, Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain wrote to 10 Premier League clubs, urging them to end their affiliation with unlicensed sponsors.

Entain have taken the lead with lobbying, but it seems their calls fell on deaf ears. Just days later, Sunderland penned a deal with Shuffle, a crypto-centric operator without a UK license, to make them their sleeve partner.

Time is of the essence

Despite a raft of think tanks and gambling reform campaign groups, such as the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), calling on more extreme measures to tighten gambling ads, LHGP has thrown its weight into the debate. And while they see value in what the DCMS is proposing, they think an industry-wide ban needs to be brought in as soon as possible.

Dr Nason Maani, Deputy Director of LHGP, said:

“The gambling industry, like other health-harming industries before it, has a well-documented history of using delay and lobbying tactics to weaken or block regulation that threatens its commercial interests.

“Government must ensure the timeline for introducing this ban is not diluted or delayed by industry pressure.”