Football Association to review broadcast rights after FA Cup games shown on gambling website

The Football Association will review the broadcast rights it awards to betting firms after coverage available on gambling website was highlighted on the same weekend as the governing body’s campaign for mental health awareness.

A report by the Daily Mail revealed that 23 of the 32 FA Cup third-round ties last weekend were available on Bet365’s website as long as customers staked a bet or signed up for a new account with a £5 deposit. In contrast, just two games were available on free-to-air television, with the BBC showing the Merseyside derby on Sunday and Arsenal’s victory over Leeds United on Monday night, while BT Sport showed four further matches.

The six-year deal, agreed in 2017 between the FA and IMG, allowed broadcast rights to be sold off to a bookmaker from the start of the 2018/19 season, and the agreement is not due to expire until the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Yet the FA has come under-fire for choosing their weekend’s fixtures to push their ‘Heads Up’ campaign, which is backed by the governing body’s president Prince William and saw all games kick-off a minute late so that a video could be shown at every ground to highlight mental health awareness – one key aspect of which has been gambling addiction.

The FA announced two-and-a-half years ago that it had cut all ties with betting firms after ending its commercial deal with Ladbrokes, but they have confirmed that they are currently unable to terminate the one that allows coverage to be shown on Bet365 due to the long-term nature of the agreement.

An FA spokesperson said: “We will review this element of the media rights sales process ahead of tendering rights to the new cycle from the 2024/25 season onwards. Leagues and clubs continue to govern their own relationships with gambling companies.

“The FA agreed a media rights deal with IMG in early 2017, part of which permits them to sell the right to show live footage or clips of FA Cup matches to bookmakers. Bet365 acquired these rights from IMG to use from the start of the 2018/19 season.

“This deal was agreed before we made a clear decision on The FA’s relationship with gambling companies in June 2017 when we ended our partnership with Ladbrokes.”

Public Health England are currently looking into the effects of gambling on mental health and hope to be able to provide the results to the FA as part of their review.

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE, said: “PHE is currently reviewing the evidence about the health harms of gambling, which we believe are wide ranging.

“Our report will provide sports governing bodies a fresh opportunity to review their relationships with gambling.”