Kieran Maguire slams Premier League for doing ‘bare minimum’ as West Ham face £60m loss
The Premier League are doing the ‘bare minimum’ by banning front-of-shirt gambling sponsors which could see West Ham lose £60million.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the ‘tokenism’ of the Premier League banning gambling sponsorships.
As reported by The Times last Wednesday (29 March), Premier League clubs are set to agree to ban gambling companies from advertising on the front of their shirts.
The ban is set to prohibit front-of-shirt gambling sponsors, while sleeve sponsors and advertisement boards around grounds are still set to be allowed to advertise gambling companies.
West Ham will be one of a handful of Premier League clubs affected by the ban, with the Hammers currently owning a £60million six-year deal with Betway as their front-of-shirt sponsor.
Maguire slammed the Premier League’s actions, suggesting a ‘much more comprehensive’ review of gambling sponsorships is required to make a real impact.
“The decision to ban front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships by the 2025/26 deal will be broadly welcomed,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“But I think it shows that the Premier League are trying to do the bare minimum.
“Doing the bare minimum will be deemed acceptable by those who point out the profitability of the gambling industry.
“Unless it is part of a much more comprehensive review into the market of the gambling industry and the relative lack of care it has towards its customers then I believe this change is tokenism at best.
“It needs to be dealt with on a far more adult level but given the level of lobbying undertaken by the industry I suspect this is highly unlikely to take place.“
In other news, West Ham naming rights twist as news on £20m+ deal confirmed