…but will gambling sponsorship in football (or at all) soon be a thing of the past?

Last year the UK government released its much delayed White Paper on reform of gambling regulation.  It had been expected that it would contain more far-reaching measures to restrict gambling advertising and sponsorship in football (and more widely).  Instead, Premier League clubs collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts by the end of the 2025-26 season.  Some thought this was too little, too late.  This week, a Premier League club announced a two year sponsorship deal with a gambling operator, just squeaking in ahead of the withdrawal.

With the General Election looming, what have the main GB parties said in their manifestos about gambling advertising?  It's all a bit vague…

Labour

Labour says that it is committed to reducing gambling-related harm. Recognising the evolution of the gambling landscape since 2005, Labour will reform gambling regulation, strengthening protections. It will work with the industry on how to ensure responsible gambling.

Liberal Democrats

The manifesto says that they will combat the harms caused by problem gambling by introducing the current government's planned compulsory levy on gambling companies to fund research, prevention and treatment. They say that they will also restrict gambling advertising and establish a Gambling Ombudsman to redress wrongs, implement effective affordability checks (something the Gambling Commission has been working on), and take “tough action” to tackle black market gambling.

Other parties

The Tories clearly feel their work on gambling is done and don't have anything in their manifesto about it.  

Plaid Cymru, Reform (who plan to update their manifesto on Monday 17th June), and the Green party don't say anything either.

The SNP has not launched its 2024 manifesto yet.

This article only covers Great Britain, but the Northern Irish Assembly has been amending gambling law there recently.

So can we expect more regulation of gambling advertising?  If the polls are right and Labour wins, probably. But the devil will be in the detail.