The UK’s major sports organizations will hope that the English Premier League’s (EPL) decision to voluntarily ban front-of-shirt gambling sponsors in time for the 2026 season will appease the public. It’s a choice that has not come lightly considering the profitability of the deals, but one that had to be made to prevent government intervention through the white paper.
two-thirds of UK adults surveyed believe there are “too many” gambling ads
However, a new poll by charity Care has suggested that this has done little to quell concerns. Nearly two-thirds of UK adults surveyed believe there are “too many” gambling ads during televised soccer games, with 90% wanting MPs to step in to regulate them. The poll was conducted by Savanta among more than 1,000 UK adults.
As reported by i news, a policy expert for the charity said the results reveal the UK public do not share the same “permissive stance on gambling advertising” as the government. “People are deeply concerned about an oversaturation of gambling ads in football,” he said. “And they want proper oversight of advertising by regulation.”
Speaking with VegasSlotsOnline News recently, UK gambling expert and CEO of eGaming Monitor Kevin Dale predicted that the EPL ban would lead anti-gambling campaigners to set their sights on other leagues, sports, and advertising media. He warned that while the Premier League can afford such a loss of income, “others aren’t so lucky.”
