Sport faces end of gambling cash in biggest crisis since tobacco ban

Gambling logos to be outlawed from all kit
West Ham football club is paid £10m a season by online bookies Betway
West Ham football club is paid £10m a season by online bookies Betway
ROB NEWELL

Gambling logos may be banned from sports shirts in the biggest shake-up of advertising in professional sport since tobacco promotion was outlawed.

The move would hit football clubs hardest but also affect snooker, darts, boxing and rugby league. Gambling companies provide Premier League and Championship clubs with about £110m a year in shirt sponsorship alone.

Every player in the Professional Darts Corporation’s top 10 ranking has featured gambling logos on their T-shirts during big tournaments, analysis shows. Many of the top snooker players, including Ronnie O’Sullivan, have the logos of betting sites on their waistcoats.

Civil servants have warned leading sports industry figures that a crackdown on gambling firm sponsors is being considered. Ministers are increasingly concerned about betting addiction triggered by the boom in