A recent investigation has revealed that half of the Premier League's football clubs are not adhering to their own voluntary code of conduct regarding gambling advertisements aimed at or featuring minors.
This code, developed in collaboration with the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), was intended to demonstrate responsible behaviour by clubs and gambling companies amid concerns about football promoting betting to young and vulnerable individuals.
The review found that 10 out of 20 Premier League clubs displayed gambling logos or links on webpages designed for or featuring under-18s. This includes club shop pages aimed at children, under-18 football content and pages dedicated to junior fan forums and mascots.
Some clubs even featured underage squad members wearing shirts with betting logos, which would not be permitted during league matches.
Notable examples include Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers displaying betting logos on kids' sections of their online merchandise shops.
Beyond this, multiple clubs – including Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City – were linking to betting sponsors from under-18 football pages.
After being contacted, several clubs removed the problematic links and images. However, some issues persisted, such as Newcastle United's website linking to betting sponsors on youth academy pages.
The findings have raised concerns about the effectiveness of self-regulation among campaigners, including former ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley, who stated: “I’d like to say that I’m surprised but I’m not. We are coming across more and more examples of how we cannot rely on operators, football clubs, TV channels to regulate themselves.”
The Premier League has claimed it is working with clubs to implement the code, with the Independent Football Ombudsman available to consider unresolved complaints.
