Entain CEO Stella David has submitted a formal letter to Premier League (PL) CEO Richard Masters ahead of what the operator has coined the ‘black market derby’ game between Bournemouth and Sunderland – who both have unlicensed gambling operator kit sponsors – this weekend.
Crucially, on behalf of the operator, David has stated that Entain ‘welcomes’ the UK Government’s decision this week to implement a blanket ban on sports sponsorships by unlicensed operators. Nevertheless, she outlines that this ban will take months to implement and the PL must act sooner to help avoid the ‘very real harms’ that could occur in the meantime – labelling the UK’s top footballing division as ‘complicit’ in the rise of black market gambling in the UK, the longer it fails to act.
Continuing, David’s letter underlines the ‘concerning’ nature of the PL’s inaction around unregulated gambling endorsements. She goes on to accuse the league of having a commitment to unlicensed sponsorships and of lobbying the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to retain unregulated gambling brands on shirt sleeves, ahead of the imminent front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship ban active from next season.
The Entain CEO also cited statistics from the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) - who also endorsed the Government’s decision yesterday – which highlight estimates that UK consumers wager £2.7bn ($3.65bn) via the illegal market on an annual basis.
Concluding, the letter states that David would welcome a meeting with Masters to discuss how the operator could work in tandem with the PL to further protect British sport from risks posed by the unregulated gambling market. She outlines that the PL has the opportunity to set an example in the UK landscape to utilise its high-profile position and implement a ban on sponsorships of these kinds.
Stated as part of her open letter, David underlined: “Entain has made its choice. We are on the side of sport and sport integrity, on the side of fans, and on the side of a responsible and regulated betting sector. We will therefore be calling on DCMS and the Gambling Commission to implement a comprehensive ban in this area as urgently as possible.”
Bournemouth's sponsor, BJ88, was ordered out of the UK market by the Gambling Commission las summer – with its parent company TGP forced to pay a £3.3m for due diligence failures relating to its sports sponsorships
