March 20 – The UK’s landmark Football Governance Bill has moved a step closer to becoming law after clearing its final hurdle in the House of Lords — but efforts to force a sweeping ban on gambling sponsorship in football have been soundly defeated.
In a lively third reading of the Bill, peers voted overwhelmingly – by 339 to 74 – to reject Liberal Democrat Lord Addington’s amendment that would have compelled the soon-to-be-established Independent Football Regulator to block all gambling-related advertising and sponsorship in English football.
Addington’s proposal sought to make the regulator a vehicle for cutting the sport’s ties with betting, arguing “football might be one place we could do without” gambling promotion. Despite the backing of some peers who voiced concern over gambling addiction and its visibility in sport, many questioned whether this Bill was the right legislative battleground.
Baroness Taylor of Bolton sympathised with Addington’s intentions but warned, “I am not sure this is the vehicle for what he wants to do,” while Baroness Fox of Buckley highlighted the financial reality for many clubs: “One of the aims of the Bill is that the football regulator will help clubs, particularly smaller clubs, become financially sustainable and avoid financial jeopardy.
“That has been a compelling and convincing argument for this Bill. So why would we cut off a perfectly legitimate source of funding in the form of lucrative sponsorship, which is what these amendments would do?”
The gambling debate remains contentious. Although the Premier League has committed to phasing out front-of-shirt betting sponsors by 2026, critics argue this doesn’t go far enough, with some calling for an outright ban akin to measures already adopted in Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Addington’s amendment, had it passed, would have overridden both the government’s Gambling Act review and the Premier League’s own self-regulation — a move that stirred unease across both football and the betting industry.
While the immediate threat of a sponsorship ban has been averted, the warning signs are clear. Gambling’s presence in football remains firmly under scrutiny. Moving forward, clubs and betting operators alike may need to show a more visible commitment to responsible promotion, particularly to avoid the backlash that follows partnerships with lesser-known or unlicensed brands.
With the Football Governance Bill’s centrepiece – the creation of an independent regulator – now on track, stakeholders in both sectors would do well to brace for future scrutiny as political appetite for reform shows no signs of fading.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1742842797labto1742842797ofdlr1742842797owedi1742842797sni@g1742842797niwe.1742842797yrrah1742842797