Turf Moor Stadium - Burnley Football Club

Burnley FC’s new chairman to review LoveBet sponsorship

Burnley FC’s new Chairman is set to review its sponsorship agreement with the operator LoveBet.

Burnley FC’s new Chairman Alan Pace has promised to review the team’s current sponsorship with the gambling operator LoveBet.

This comes after Pace became the Premier League clubs’ Chairman on Christmas Eve after his ALK Capital Investment Group spent about £170m to secure an 84% controlling share at Turf Moor.

Prior to this, in November last year, the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) charity announced a partnership with Burnley in an effort to educate supporters about the risks associated with gambling

Reviewing the LoveBet sponsorship

On 3 January, prior to Pace’s appearance at a virtual press conference, supporters on Twitter raised the issue of the team’s ties to online gambling. 

In an exchange with supporters on Twitter, Pace said: “It’s an issue I’m aware of and have my own personal views on, too. I can promise it will be reviewed as part of the overall commercial strategy for the club.”

Pace went on to say: “There may be some historic contractual obligations, but it’s an issue I’ll be reviewing with my team for the long-term.”

LoveBet has been Burnley’s official sports betting partner since 2018 and the deal is estimated to generate £7.5m in revenue a year for the team.

Gambling sponsorship in football under scrutiny

The news that Pace will review Burnley’s sponsorship agreement with LoveBet comes as gambling sponsorship in sports continues to come under scrutiny.

Prior to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport announcement that it would be launching its review of the 2005 Gambling Act in December, several stakeholders have voiced concerns on gambling in sports.

In July 2020, a House of Lords report proposed several regulatory changes to the UK gambling sector, including a ban on gambling sponsors in the sports world. This came a month after the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling also called for gambling sponsors in football to be scrapped.

In 2020 several football clubs, including Swansea City and Everton FC, announced they would prematurely end their partnerships with gambling operators.

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