Across the pond, the Football Association is taking a monumental stand against companies that advertise or deal in betting operations. According to a report from The Guardian, the FA has come to the decision to end all sponsorship deals with betting companies following an exhaustive three-month review.
“At the May FA board meeting it was agreed that the FA would end all sponsorships with betting companies starting from the end of the 2016-17 season,” a statement from the FA said. “The decision was made following a three-month review of the FA’s approach to it as a governing body taking betting sponsorship, whilst being responsible for the regulation of sports betting within the sport’s rules.”
That will bring an abrupt end to two sponsorship deals in place with betting companies William Hill and Ladbrokes, however, the FA says it will continue to work with Ladbrokes even after the sponsorship deal is nixed.
“The FA will continue to work with betting companies, including Ladbrokes, as they play a key role in sharing information on suspect betting patterns and so help in regulating the game,” the statement from the FA explained.
Despite the timing of the decision, FA chairman Greg Clarke insists the decision was not tied to the recent story of Joey Barton, who was banned for 18 months earlier this year for a history of sports betting that included betting on his own team’s matches. This news did not get by Barton, as he reacted to the headline on Twitter.
Odd timing. Guess they must have just organically came to that decision then? https://t.co/b3q6h2kEcH #themzbe
—
Joey Barton (@Joey7Barton) June 22, 2017
The soccer world, like other sports around the globe, has continued to battle an image problem when it comes to gambling within the sport. In the United States, the NFL says it is against gambling but at the same time is about to relocate a team to Las Vegas and continues to have teams lining up one-year deals with daily fantasy sports organizations like FanDuel and DraftKings. NBA, MLB, and NHL teams also sign daily fantasy sports deals as well, but traditional wager betting is still off limits for these leagues.