Bet365 deal with FA under fire amid increasing pressure on gambling industry

A broadcast deal between bookmaking giant bet365 and the Football Association has come under fire from politicians and pundits who have called for it to be scrapped.

In a move reflecting the growing political and social pressure on the betting industry, Nicky Morgan, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said via twitter she hoped the deal – which made 23 third-round FA Cup matches available to watch via bet365's website and mobile app last weekend – would be reconsidered as "things have moved on since the contract was signed".

The streamed matches formed part of a six-year deal between the FA and sports media company IMG which began in the 2018-19 season. It is understood Paddy Power have also streamed FA Cup matches over the same period.

Sports minister Nigel Adams echoed Morgan's sentiments and tweeted: "The gambling landscape has changed since this deal was signed in early 2017. All sports bodies need to be mindful of the impact that problem gambling can have on the most vulnerable."

BBC's primary Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker added his voice to the outcry, calling the deal "all kinds of wrong".

All third-round FA Cup matches were delayed by a minute to publicise the FA's Heads Up mental health campaign, which is backed by FA chairman the Duke of Cambridge.

Charities including Gambleaware Public Heath England (PHE) and the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) have pointed to a direct link between problem gambling and mental health.

Shirley Cramer, chief executive of RSPH said: "This is a rotten deal from start to finish.

"Awareness-raising campaigns such as the 60-second delay to the FA Cup kick-offs last weekend are important but the twin crises of mental health and young people’s gambling we are facing today demand more than symbolism from the FA."

The calls are just the latest in a series of stories to have already rocked the gambling industry in 2020.

Last week the Gambling Commission announced it was considering a ban on so-called VIP status for important and big-spending customers with online bookmakers, while on Tuesday bookmaker Black Type announced its intention to enter administration.

Bet365, which streamed around 160,000 live sporting events from March 2017 to March 2018, moved to defend their non-exclusive deal on Wednesday.

"Bet365 does not sponsor the FA or the FA Cup and does not have any direct commercial agreement with the FA," a statement from the bookmaker read.

"Bet365, along with multiple other operators, has the right to live stream certain FA Cup matches through a long standing media rights deal with IMG.

"There is no obligation on bet365's customers to place a bet on any FA Cup match to enjoy the live streams at bet365.

"To do so, customers are simply required to either have a funded bet365 account or to have placed a bet on any event with bet365 in the previous 24 hours.

"This requirement importantly ensures that all such customers are fully verified to prevent under-18s from accessing the service.

"Bet365 believes that these streaming services provide added value to its customers and enable them to watch FA Cup matches that they might not otherwise have been able to see."

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