Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of banning betting groups from sponsoring football clubs.

It is right that sporting organisations have the freedom to benefit commercially from their products and negotiate their own broadcasting and sponsorship deals.

But such organisations also have an important role to ensure the agreements they enter into are socially responsible and not detrimental to their fans. Gambling operators too are obliged to ensure that all their sponsorship and marketing activity is done responsibly and never targeted at children or vulnerable people.

The Government has committed to a further review of the Gambling Act to ensure it remains fit for the digital age. Further details will be announced in due course.