The review of the 2005 Gambling Act has continued on from last year, and with judgement anticipated sometime in the spring, implications for both the betting and sports industries are expected.

Sharing his views on the legislative overhaul at the Betting on Sports Europe (BOSE) conference event at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium last year, Football Media Owner and CEO Dean Akinjobi spoke to SBC Business Journalist Jessie Sale about the pending outcomes. 

“It’s going to be a bumpy road,” he said. “The future of sports sponsorships as a whole with regards to betting is going to be challenging. 

“My personal opinion is that there is going to be an impact on the visibility of shirt sponsorships, and that is going to be challenging for many clubs as well as betting companies. 

“It’s been on the roadmap for a while. It’s not definitive, but what will happen – if it does come into place – betting companies will have to come up with smarter ways to engage audiences.”

Whilst also sharing Football Media’s goals for 2022 – which will see the firm focus on integrating its African and European operations – Akinjobi also commented on the positives of attending events such as BOSE.

“It’s been a great event, as we can see it’s really busy and has been a great follow on from Barcelona. From a panel point of view, the Women’s World Cup discussion which focused on how it’s going to be bigger than the Qatar men’s World Cup I am very keen to stream online. 

“We have a very big interest in women’s football at Football Media, we work with a lot of women’s clubs on sponsorships, so its definitely one I will be streaming.”