By Marvellous Chukwukelu, March 2 2025—

In 2001, the UK House of Commons abolished the General Betting Duty thereby removing the biggest barrier to sports betting in the country. The results were near instantaneous with the English Premier League (EPL)–one of the world’s biggest sports leagues in views and revenue– announcing its first betting sponsor after bookmaker Betfair struck a deal with Fulham FC to become their front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2002/2003 Premier League campaign.

In the years since, that number has gone up exponentially with 11 out of the 20 teams in the league now sporting betting companies as their front-of-shirt sponsor. Yet, despite an undeniable willingness from betting companies to continue supplying the steady stream of revenue that clubs have enjoyed from them over the past two decades, EPL clubs have remained under immense pressure to cut ties with opposing parties citing numerous ethical concerns regarding gambling sponsors, especially within a league that has such a wide reach.

On April 13, 2023, the Premier League officially announced the clubs within the league had jointly decided to stop allowing gambling companies to be the sponsors for clubs’ matchday shirts. This decision, which will go into effect with the 2026/2027 season, was part of a broader modification to the Code of Conducts that professional UK soccer organizations–the English Football League, the Football Association, the Barclays Womens Super League and the English Premier League–abide by, aimed to ensure that promotion of gambling-related activities was done in such a way that those who were at the most risk for gambling-related harm had limited interaction with the promos.

Unfortunately, despite the effects of gambling promotion in the world of English soccer being a well-documented case study, prominent sporting leagues within Canada seem intent on ignoring the lessons that the English world had to learn the hard way. The National Hockey League has embraced gambling sponsors wholeheartedly with the league itself signing a deal with Penn Entertainment to have their gambling subsidiaries–ESPNBet and theScore Bet– to become official league partners for sports betting. The Canadian Premier League has also followed a similar path, signing a multi-year deal with TonyBet.

Predictably, the same cracks that appeared within the English soccer world have started to appear again. For example, in 2023, the NHL suspended Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto for 41 games due to sports gambling-related infractions, an incident which shares many parallels with the Football Association’s suspension of English soccer player, Ivan Toney. Also, to protect youth within the province, Ontario implemented a ban on the use of pro athletes for promoting online sports betting, a move that mirrors a policy the UK set forward years ago. Essentially, the Canadian sporting world is using a system of trial-and-error to slowly but steadfastly run into the same issues and adopt the same policies that the English soccer leagues have already adopted following years of experiencing the reality of gambling within sports. 

Despite the efforts of the NHL and other major North American sporting leagues to promote ‘responsible gambling’, it has become increasingly clear that there is simply no ethical space for gambling within sporting spaces. Unless these leagues are willing to sacrifice the well-being of the people–both young and old–who fervently follow these sports, gambling needs to go.

If you or a loved one is struggling with a gambling addiction, please reach out to the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission Helpline at 1-866-332-2322 or other provincial resources which can be found on the website of the Canadian Safety Council.