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Betting adverts on shirts to stay

The government's gambling review has not called for a ban on betting firms advertising on football shirts. Nine of the 20 Premier League clubs in England and three in Scotland's top flight have shirts sponsored by gambling firms. Gambling on football is worth £1.4bn a year to bookmakers.

Two of the firms concerned are based in China, another two in the Philippines and two more in Malta. Only one is UK based. The most lucrative contract is the £10m held by West Ham United with Malta-based Betway, followed by £9.6m at Everton for SportsPensa, based in Kenya.

The FA terminated its £4m a year sponsorship deal with Ladbrokes in June one year into the four year contract. The FA admitted that there was a conflict in imposing a ban on betting on football by players and others in the game at the same time as accepting large sums of sponsorship money from a betting firm.

If the Labour Party gains office, it will ban gambling adverts on all football shirts.

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