Irish Football Association considers ending betting partnerships
FAI likely to mirror English FA in blocking gambling partnerships once Ladbrokes deal expires
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is set to sever all ties with betting and gaming companies, according to a report in The Times.
The FAI is currently sponsored by Ladbrokes, but that deal is set to expire this year with the governing body set to make an announcement on the contract imminently.
In the report, a spokesman for the organisation told the newspaper that the all of the FAI’s links to gambling firms were being re-evaluated due to concerns over problem gambling and addiction.
President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, told reporters he would like to see an end to gambling advertising in sport last month.
He said: “I’m very concerned about gambling, which if I had my way, I wouldn’t have advertising of any access to gambling platforms in sport at all.
“I really worry when I read cases of people who have come through gambling problems.
“The often-secret addiction has grown in sport in recent years and a number of high profile sports people have talked about their stories of addiction,” he added.
Ireland’s Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA) voted to ban betting sponsorships in February while England’s Football Association terminated its contract with UK bookmaker Ladbrokes in June 2017.