The English FA is to vote next month on introducing a worldwide ban on betting on football for anybody involved in the top eight tiers of the English game. This would cover all players, managers, directors and employees of clubs from the Premier League through to the Isthmian League.
It includes all those involved at the 72 clubs that play in the Skybet sponsored Football League, as well as those who play for clubs who bring in millions in sponsorship and revenue share deals with betting companies in England, Ireland and around the world.
Restrictions on betting in matches and tournaments where players and officials are involved have been in place for a number of years and there have been high profile cases where players and managers have been caught and reprimanded.
Extending the ban to all matches and speculative markets worldwide is a big step further. It has been prompted by concerns over the public perception of sporting integrity.
“The proposed betting rule adjustment to encompass all aspects of world football provides a simple and straightforward message to all participants on where the line is drawn,” said FA director of football governance and regulation Darren Bailey
Deep commercial connections
No mention was made in the statement of the deep commercial connections that soccer has built with betting in recent years. Companies like Skybet, Paddy Power, Boylesports, Ladbrokes, William Hill and many more have invested millions in promoting through a sport which globally is now the largest medium for betting by far.
William Hill is listed on the FA’s own website as an official partner though it now appears that none of the FA employees or registered members will be able to bet with them on any aspect of football.
Every football ground in the country has a betting facility on the premises. Every live televised match is surrounded by advertising and promotion of one of a myriad of bookmakers.
The number of individuals involved in the restriction is tiny compared to the market that exists for fans and bettors around the world. On that basis alone it is highly unlikely that betting companies will be looking to withdraw from involvement in the sport. That is especially true when discussion is taking place at high level within government in the UK about additional restrictions on how betting is promoted.
Football is already the main channel through which bookmakers sell their services to the lucrative Asian and online markets, many of which are heavily restricted in terms of promotion and grey at best when it comes to legality.
Question mark
The bigger issue is whether the sport itself will remain comfortable taking sponsorship from a sector where it clearly feels there is a question mark over integrity.
Soccer at the top flight is attracting new sponsors at a previously unthought of rate. Manchester United alone list 35 top level sponsors and partners including BWin and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, both of which offer betting on football to vast audiences.
That level of commercial partnership hunger falls away in the lower leagues though. It is understood that the five year deal signed with Skybet last summer did not have a strong underbidder.
There are echoes here of the proposed ban on alcohol sponsorship through sport while allowing its legal promotion through every other form of marketing.
Sports betting is not illegal in the UK, but from next season it is almost certain to be prohibited for those involved in the game. There is little or no precedent for such a ban, with the possible exception of over the counter drugs that have performance enhancing elements.
A question of whether then there is a long term realistic way in which the sport can commercially take money from an industry it is uncomfortable with will be faced up to this morning in many board rooms of sporting and business organisations.
Rob Hartnett, Founder of Sport for Business will be a speaker at a major Betting on Football Conference at Stamford Bridge in London on Thursday, May 8th.
