SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has launched a Code of Conduct for British racing which concerns sponsorship agreements with gambling companies.
Supported by the Racecourse Association (RCA), the new Code fulfils a policy proposal for all sports set out in the Government’s 2023 Gambling White Paper and aims to show the sport’s commitment to ensuring all gambling activity is undertaken in a ‘responsible way’.
The code begins with the following statement: “The relationship between British Horseracing and gambling is a unique one, as recognised by the Government in its Gambling White Paper. Millions of horse racing fans enjoy having a bet on the sport, whether at a local betting shop, at a racecourse or online.”
It then goes on to set out four main principles; Reinvestment into sport, maintaining sporting integrity, protecting children and young people, and, as previously mentioned, ensuring the promotion of betting is undertaken in a socially responsible way.
The RCA will be signatory to the code on behalf of British Racecourses, and will provide advice, guidance and support to racecourses on observance of the four general principles.
The authority explained that British Racecourses and participants in British Horseracing will only enter into sponsorship arrangements with betting companies that are licensed under arrangements set by the Gambling Commission permitting them to offer marketing and sponsorship services.
Now, those entering into sponsorship agreements with such betting companies must commit to reinvesting the revenues earned back into the sport.
Additionally, any contractual arrangement entered into with a gambling company should include specific provision that the gambling company will comply with all aspects of the British Gambling Commission’s LCCP, including those that relate to protecting the integrity of sport
Meanwhile, British Racecourses and participants in British Horseracing will take a responsible approach to sports sponsorship with a commitment not to directly target under-18s and to actively consider the potential impact on younger people when undertaking sponsorship activities.
On this, some examples that the BHA gave are no logos or promotional material on merchandise and products aimed at children and no promotion of logos on family/junior sections of racecourse websites.
Finally, to ensure the promotion of betting is undertaken in a socially responsible way, British Horseracing will develop existing links with appropriate support, education, and welfare organisations, such as Racing Welfare.
This looks to provide the following to British Horseracing’s staff, participants and fans:
Signposting to educational materials that explain the risks associated with betting and how to find support if needed, education and materials on the risks of betting and signposting to support services for betting addiction where necessary.
The code concludes with: “British Horseracing commits to including safer betting messaging across all sponsorship inventories, including via social media posts, website advertising and on-course. Support our partners in participation in industry wide national campaigns, such as those promoted by the Betting and Gaming Council, Gamble Aware and others.”
In further news, English football has also agreed terms on a code of conduct governing gambling partnerships, covering all levels of both the men’s and women’s professional game.
The code will apply to any betting partnerships engaged in by the clubs of the Football Association (FA), including the Premier League, the English Football League (EFL) and the Women’s Super League (WSL).
Clubs will be required to safeguard the game based around the principles of protection, social responsibility, reinvestment and integrity. Implementation of the code was a requirement of the Gambling Act review, the White Paper of which was published by the government in April last year.
Throughout the duration of the review – which was nearly three years in the making – sponsorship arrangements were a hotly contested issue. After the Premier League opted to voluntarily ban front-of-shirt sponsorships from the 2024/25 season onwards, the review’s authors opted to implement the code of conduct as its chief recommendation in this area.
