| Polish Football Forced to End Ties with Gambling Companies |
The Polish Football Federation has had to drop all sponsorship ties with betting companies following the introduction of a ban on gambling in the country. The Polish government introduced new laws in January 2010 that only allow gambling to take place in licenced casinos. The ban has majorly impacted Polish football as multi-million Euro deals with Unibet, Betclic and other online gaming companies now have to come to an end.The heavily underfunded Polish football league will now have to seek alternative sponsorship arrangements. With even less money coming into their league now they may face difficulties qualifying for lucrative European football competitions.
Betfair’s campaign right2bet has been lobbying governments to allow European citizens the right to bet if they want to.
In a recent blog post, right2bet said: "The development will come as a hammer blow to the league, its clubs and their supporters, who are now being robbed of the chance to earn the type of money needed if Polish football is to progress and regain a sure footing in the global game."
"Polish football, in terms of infrastructure and quality is in the pits, and the ridiculously restrictive legislation now in place is having a major impact on everyone connected with the sport.
"Amazingly, this new legislation only came about as a result of the government trying to pass the buck, after members of the Cabinet were charged with corruption. The disgraced politicians were found to be opposing higher taxes on gambling institutions based on their ties with them, and rather than blame the individuals responsible, the government looked to appease the public by blaming gambling itself, and the new bill was proposed and passed at breakneck speed."
The European Commission has already raised concerns with Poland’s new gambling laws, that are in breach of EU law.
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