Gambling operators dominate EPL jerseys, despite crackdown

It’s no secret that UK lawmakers are cracking down on gambling operators and their ability to do business. For the past few years operators have seen massive revenue drops due to laws governing maximum wagers on fixed-odds betting terminals, as well as serious scrutiny of their advertising techniques. But one area of gambling marketing has remained remarkably untouched, corporate logos on football jerseys.
According to a recent report on CalvinAyre.com, more than half of all English Premiere League (EPL) jersey currently carry gambling operator logos and it represents big bucks for EPL teams. This year, gambling operators will spend $435.8 million for the privilege of sewing their logos on EPL jerseys. That’s up from the $418 million they spent last year and the major players aren’t who you might think they would be.
The top spender, according to CalvinAyre.com, is the Malta-based operator Betway, who is currently spending about $12.5 to represent on West Ham jerseys. Coming in at second place is Sportpesa from Kenya who drops $12 million for a spot on the Everton jersey.
This trend has not escaped the prying eyes of UK lawmakers. Labour Party Deputy Tom Watson sees some pretty massive inconsistencies with the UK gambling crackdown and the prevalence of gambling ads on soccer jerseys. In a recent interview with the Guardian he said, “The time for warm words is over. Either the industry is going to act in good faith, or we will need stricter regulation of gambling advertising – starting with a ban on football shirt sponsorship.”
Despite Watson’s strong words, there are currently no efforts to reign in gambling logos on EPL jerseys in the works. But that doesn’t mean UK lawmakers won’t revisit the situation at some point in the future.