Premier League Casino Sponsors Must Do More To Address Gaming Addiction In Asia

Written by: Tight Poker Staff September 10, 2018 Affiliate Disclaimer

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Sports betting is rampant across Europe and now picking up steam in the United States after the courts repealed the age old PASPA 1992 legislation. Bettors across Europe get to wager on a number of different sports and place bets via a number of popular sports betting portals and bookmakers.
The Premier League is one of the biggest and most popular sporting leagues in the world. Millions of dollars are wagered on these games and they have a massive fan following via social media and regular television. Be it football, basketball, horse racing or any other sport or event, there needs to be an element of uncertainty for bookmakers to accept bets. Uncertainty sells tickets, media rights and sports bundles and the Premier League delivers on all fronts.
Sports Rife With Gambling Advertising
Premier League executives should be very happy that their product is so popular with sports gamblers all over the world. With so many foreign betting companies shelling out big bucks for shirt sponsorships, it is a sign that the league is doing something right. The Mansion Group, Fun88, ManbetX and LaBa360.
The wide range of gambling brands that are now being associated with professional sports should also raise concerns that bookies are getting a little too close to the events. There is a barrage of ads for bookmakers during commercial breaks as well as during the broadcasts and players are essentially billboards for betting companies.
Simon Stevens, who is the chief executive of NHS, recently showed his concern that the overwhelming majority of gambling companies that have shirt sponsorships with the Premier League did not contribute anything to a fund that raises £10 million annually to help fight gambling addiction.
Gamble Aware Wants More Done
Gamble Aware an organization that helps to combat problem gambling believes that relationship between casino operators and sporting leagues are at a tipping point and needs to be addressed. Gamble Aware would like to have those who profit from gambling help fund treatment. Stevens has vowed to work with the Premier League to urge foreign gambling companies to contribute to the cause.
Casino operators who run land based operations usually have a policy in place where they contribute a certain percentage of their profits to problem gambling organizations and NGO’s. This is something that is required from them as they directly offer gambling related services. However, casino operators who advertise via sporting leagues like the Premier League are often let off the hook and this is something that needs to be looked into.
Shirt Sponsors Should Cough Up Funds
Shirt sponsorships are highly coveted by Asian gambling companies who are attempting to get a bigger piece of Asia’s lucrative betting market. Since online gambling was popularized, the gambling market in southeast Asia has grown to the point that Britain no longer has the biggest English football betting market. A recent shift has seen British bookmakers adjust their odds in response to price movements in the Asian market and not the other way around. This is proof that the Asian market has true strength.
The Premier League is not well-known for leaving anything behind in terms of promoting their product. However, the large number of Asian betting operators that have shirt sponsorships proves that English football is extremely important to the Asian betting market. From a business standpoint, it makes sense that Asian gambling firms would cough up some money to address problem gambling. How much of an impact it would have in terms of curbing and addressing the growing concern of problem gambling in Asia remains to be seen but it is always better to do something instead of nothing.
UK Regulator Also Concerned
It’s not just Asian markets that have seen an increase in problem gambling. The UK Gambling watchdog has also come down hard on gaming operators who have flouted advertising standards to target minors and bombard their audiences with gambling ads. The UK regulator has issued a strict warning by imposing heavy fines on multiple operators and has stepped up measures to address the growing increase in problem gambling numbers especially among the younger generation throughout the UK.