Half of Premier League Teams Fail to Obey Code on Kid-Targeted Gambling Advertisements

Upon reviewing gambling regulations, it was discovered that some clubs of the men’s football English Premier League promoted gambling on pages that target or include minors.

Concerns have been raised regarding a voluntary code of conduct developed with assistance from the betting industry when half of the Premier League clubs placed gambling advertisements on websites targeted at or featuring under-18s.

English top-division football teams have managed to dodge any new government-imposed limits affecting their sponsorship revenue from bets, as said in a review of gambling regulations published last year. Instead, EPL teams agreed to renounce front-of-shirt betting branding starting in 2026 and abide by new sponsorship guidelines developed in conjunction with the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), a lobbying group for the gaming industry.

The purpose of the action was to demonstrate to teams and gambling companies that they were acting properly in light of worries about how football could encourage betting and what effect it would have on children and the vulnerable. However, as of the end of September, 10 out of 20 Premier League clubs didn’t seem to be following their own policies. Despite being minors, under-18 players had to wear shirts bearing gambling signs in at least two clubs.

Which Premier League Clubs Display Gambling Content Within Reach of Minors?

Clubs are required to make sure that “no gambling sponsor logos […] are included on any materials or section of a website that have been designed to be viewed or used specifically by children,” according to the voluntary code that was released in July. Nonetheless, betting logos are to be found on club shop pages targeted at kids, under-18 football material, and even pages with mascots and discussion boards for junior fans.

The kids’ sections of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.’s and Brentford F.C.’s online goods shops had betting logos at the bottom. Although the emblem on the Brentford website didn’t lead to the website of its sponsor, Hollywoodbets, anyone perusing the “Wolves” club shop’s children’s area could easily click over to DEBET, the sponsor that provides virtual computer-generated sports betting and casino games.

Both the under-18 squad page and a news article on the club’s “junior fans’ forum” for kids ages 11 to 17 on Everton F.C.’s website were linked to Stake, the company’s sponsor. Two players on the team were spotted sporting the online casino firm’s insignia on their shirts. Since they are both under 18, they shouldn’t be allowed to wear the logo while watching a league game. Everton have already faced criticism for endorsing Stake, a website that specializes in cryptocurrency gaming. It was requested in 2022 that the sponsor refrain from using the club logo in response to the gambling company’s advertising strategies.

Aston Villa F.C.’s under-18 team member was also seen sporting the Betano sponsor’s insignia. Since then, the photo has been taken off.

Ipswich Town F.C., the EPL newcomers, have three pages: one for under-18 fans, one for initiatives by young fans, and one for the experiences of junior fans, which includes the sign-up website for fans to be a matchday mascot. All of these pages included links to 8Xbet.

Several teams, such as Leicester City F.C., Liverpool F.C., and Chelsea F.C., linked to betting sponsors via pages devoted to football for under-18s. Links to the website of their sponsor Betway, renowned for the Premier League betting market, just like these bookmakers for the Premier League, were included on Chelsea’s website, even without Betway’s knowledge, for both the youth team’s highlights and their under-18 fixtures.

On sections dedicated to its under-18 team and academy, which serves kids as young as nine, Newcastle United F.C.’s website had links to the websites of three betting sponsors.

Moreover, Nottingham Forest F.C.’s website featured links and branding to Kaiyun Sports, the team’s gambling sponsor, in a section devoted to the girls academy, a program for kids in the under-10 to under-16 age range.
In the meantime, all mentioned clubs took down any of such links or pictures.