Last Monday (17), the House of Lords (Upper House of the UK Parliament) voted against an amendment that sought to ban sponsorship of betting games in English football. The result was a clear majority: 339 votes against and 74 in favor.
The final version of the Football Governance Bill included this proposal, after debate concluded last week. The House of Lords initially introduced the bill in October 2024. Its aim is to create an independent regulator to oversee football and deal with issues such as club licensing.
The text went through the committee and report stages in March. The House then debated it again in the past two weeks.
The proposal to ban gambling sponsorship and advertising was put forward by Liberal Democrat politician Lord Addington. The proposed clause stated: “Duty to prevent advertising and sponsorship relating to betting in English football. English football must not promote or engage in advertising or sponsorship relating to betting.”
Lord Addington argued that the proposed regulatory body, the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), should phase out such sponsorship and advertising once it was up and running. However, the proposal was rejected with 339 votes against and 74 in favour.
Debates and arguments against banning betting advertising
During the debate, Lord Addington highlighted that betting advertising had “grown beyond all recognition, probably becoming something none of us would have suspected 20 years ago”. He urged MPs: “We have to do something here; it has become ridiculous.”
On the other hand, Baroness Fox of Buckley argued against the amendment. She said the main purpose of the bill was to help clubs, especially smaller ones, facing financial instability.
“Why would we cut off a perfectly legitimate source of funding in the form of lucrative sponsorship?” Fox asked. She also warned that the ban could create a “politically charged” regulator.
Political and economic positioning
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay agreed with Fox, noting that the amendment had “wider implications” for complex issues that were not the original focus of the bill. Baroness Twycross, the UK’s gambling minister, noted that the government had already set standards for the betting industry, aiming for “proportionate and appropriate” advertising.
Twycross also recalled that the Premier League, the top division of English football, had already decided to remove betting sponsors from the front of teams’ shirts from the 2026-2027 season.
She said the regulator should not have a “specific role in commercial matters such as advertising and sponsorship” as these are decisions for clubs to make.
Furthermore, Twycross highlighted the importance of recognising the “vital revenue” that English clubs receive from sponsorship and betting advertising.
Next steps of the bill
The bill will now go to the House of Commons, where it will undergo first and second readings. It will then be discussed in committees, followed by a third reading. Finally, final amendments will be considered before a final vote.
