Football Association and Bet365

Damian Collins Excerpts
Thursday 9th January 2020

(4 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nigel Adams Portrait Nigel Adams
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The hon. Gentleman is spot-on. That is another reason why we are going to review the Gambling Act—and the sooner we do so the better as far as I am concerned.

Damian Collins Portrait Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) (Con)
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I believe the deal cheapens the FA cup, and I do not believe we should wait four years for a review. If the FA will not change its mind and act soon, will the Minister consider amending the Gambling Act to ban the type of sponsorship deal that requires sports fans to set up gambling accounts simply to watch sports?

Nigel Adams Portrait Nigel Adams
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My hon. Friend is right. Nothing is off the table in the review. I can tell the House that this morning the FA confirmed that from next year, 2021, it will show those particular games on its website, so that they are not available exclusively via gambling sites. That is progress, but we have asked the FA to consider all the options for restricting the deal sooner.