The UK Labour Party has pledged to put an end football jersey sponsorship by gambling operators. It’s a move that party leaders say will help combat both problem and underage gambling.
Word of Labour’s proposed war on gambling logos was outlined in a statement from the party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson. In his missive, Watson made it clear that the proposed gambling logo ban was just one of several moves the party is considering in its efforts to curb problem gambling.
Watson compared banning gambling logos on soccer jerseys to a similar ban on sponsorships by tobacco companies, enacted in 2005, saying:
Just as tobacco companies were banned from sponsoring sporting events and putting their logos on branded goods because of the harm smoking can cause it’s right that we recognise the harm problem gambling does and take gambling logos off football shirts.
While the Labour Party is dead set on removing gambling operators from football kits, the overall impact of such a move is still very much under debate. A recent article on CalvinAyre.com points out that only a small number of operators with logo deals in the UK do very much business in the country. That same article also notes that problem gamblers account for just .08% of the country’s entire population.
As evidence of why the logo ban is a great idea, Watson pointed out that the UK Football Association (FA) already has a logo ban of this sort in place. That ban, he said, should extend to the time UK children spend watching football, too.
All this bluster, however, will remain bluster until the Labour Party retakes control of the British Government.