BETTING BAN

REVEALED: Old Firm blow as gambling firms to be outlawed on front of shirt

CELTIC and Rangers face a ban on the use of betting logos on their firstteam shirts following a government review of gambling laws.

Sportsmail understands outlawing front-of-shirt logos of gambling firms is almost certain to be one of the proposals included in a white paper to be published by the UK Government this winter.

However, sources believe a wider ban on betting advertising in sport — including on pitchside hoardings and on TV — will not be recommended by ministers at this stage.

Scottish champions Rangers have a ‘multi-year’ agreement with 32Red. Celtic, meanwhile, have an agreement until 2025 with Dafabet in an association hailed as ‘Scottish football’s biggest ever front-of-shirt sponsorship deal.’

With gambling sponsorship a reserved matter for Westminster, any ban on shirt advertising by betting firms could see both clubs forced to seek new shirt sponsors by 2023.

This season, nine of the 20 English Premier League clubs also have gambling companies as their front-of-shirt sponsors, as well as another six teams in the Championship. Those deals are estimated to be worth a combined £100million a year. The all-party parliamentary group for