DCMS announces consultation on banning unlicensed gambling operator sports sponsorship
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced a forthcoming consultation on banning unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring British sports clubs, including Premier League teams, as part of a wider crackdown on the illegal gambling market. The proposed ban would prevent companies without a Gambling Commission licence from entering into sponsorship agreements, on the basis that brand visibility through high-profile clubs may direct consumers to unregulated sites that do not comply with requirements on financial vulnerability checks, responsible advertising, fair terms or data protection, and which have been linked to organised crime. Although clubs are not currently acting unlawfully where such operators are not accessible to UK consumers, ministers consider that prohibiting sponsorship would reduce consumer risk and prevent unfair competition with licensed firms. Alongside the consultation, the government has established an Illegal Gambling Taskforce, led by Gambling Minister, Baroness Twycross and involving social media companies, payment providers, gambling bodies and law enforcement agencies, to prevent illegal advertising, block payments to unlicensed sites and improve cross-agency cooperation, as part of broader measures to reduce gambling-related harm.