The FA will "end its sponsorship deal with betting partner Ladbrokes after deciding it is inappropriate to have commercial relationships with gambling companies," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Confirmation of the decision to end the sponsorship deal comes "12 months into a four-year contract" worth around £4M ($5.1M) per year. FA Chair Greg Clarke ordered a review into "whether it was right for the governing body to accept money from betting firms when it is also responsible for regulating sports betting." The review also looked at sponsorship from alcohol firms but "no action is being taken in that area." FA CEO Martin Glenn said, "We would like to thank Ladbrokes for both being a valued partner over the last year and for their professionalism and understanding about our change of policy around gambling." The FA said that the decision was taken at the last board meeting that all sponsorship deals with betting companies would terminate at the end of the '16-17 season (LONDON TIMES, 6/22). In London, Murad Ahmed reported the FA said that it would continue to work with gambling groups "as they play a key role in sharing information on suspect betting patterns and so help in regulating the game." One person briefed on the sponsorship deal said that the FA paid Ladbrokes "for the value of one year of the contract and no further penalty for ending it early." Half of the 20 Premier League clubs have kits sponsored by betting groups. Stoke City is owned by Bet365, the Chinese characters of Mansion are on the shirts of Bournemouth and Crystal Palace and Filipino group Dafabet is featured on Burnley's shirts (FINANCIAL TIMES, 6/22). The BBC reported Ladbrokes CEO Jim Mullen said, "We understand the FA's decision regarding their commercial partnerships on gambling." Mullen added that Ladbrokes would continue to work with the FA "to ensure the integrity and trust of the sport is maintained" (BBC, 6/22). THE DRUM's Tony Connelly reported a spokesperson for William Hill issued a statement saying, "Commercial ties between betting companies and football are a fact of life and far from causing integrity issues can lead to stronger and more coordinated approaches to integrity. This was an expensive deal for Ladbrokes at the outset and it may well suit both parties to go their own ways at this stage" (THE DRUM, 6/22).
