The Premier League has delayed a vote to ban front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling brands after the gambling minister resigned.
According to Sky News, the top-flight football league emailed the 20 participating clubs on Thursday to inform them that the deadline to vote for the industry reform had been momentarily scrapped.
The proposals will now be discussed with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, at a shareholder meeting on 26 July, according to various club executives.
The postponement came as Chris Philp, the gambling minister, chose to resign alongside many other members of the Conservative Party in a bid to push Boris Johnson out.
Philp was due to announce a gambling reform in the next few weeks.
A football industry source told Sky News that the delay may come as an attempt by anti-gambling campaigners to ‘exploit’ the crisis which has seen Boris Johnson and most of his administration resign.
READ MORE: Brands react to Boris Johnson quitting as PM on Twitter
Early this week, the Premier League announced its plans to eradicate front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling brands over the next three to five years.
While the top flight league proposed these plans to ministers, betting firms however would still have the option to sponsor the sleeves of football shirts.
The Premier League has previously argued that completely removing gambling brands from kits would send clubs over a ‘cliff edge’ from the ‘sudden evaporation of income’ from the gaming sector. Another source told Sky News that the removal of front-of-shirt sponsorship would take three to five years due to the expiry dates of many pre-exsiting commercial deals with football clubs.
Up to half of the clubs in the Premier League were sponsored by gambling brands last season, including West Ham, Brentford, Southampton and Newcastle.
Before Philp’s resignation and the accompanying Westminster turmoil, a DCMS spokesperson said, “We are undertaking the most comprehensive review of gambling laws in 15 years to ensure they are fit for the digital age. We will be publishing a White Paper as part of a review of gambling legislation in the coming weeks.”
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