Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 22 January 2007.

Gambling: Football

Question: My Lords, is my noble friend aware that, although this Question may superficially appear obscure and complicated, it is in no way party political—nor will it hit the headlines—but it is absolutely vital for football teams in Scotland and England, particularly the small ones, which have lost substantial amounts of revenue from the betting operators because of these changes? I ask my noble friend to thank Dick Caborn for the work that he has already done on this. I urge the Government to do even more and perhaps to bring in for football a system similar to that in racing, which would bring great joy particularly to small football clubs such as Elgin City, Forfar Athletic and Raith Rovers. Although I cannot guarantee that there will be dancing in the streets of Kirkcaldy, it will receive a very warm welcome.

Answer: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his question. He referred to the meeting with Richard Caborn; as a result of the meeting with Ladbrokes, bookmakers have already agreed to contribute around £3 million to help the Premier League and all the rest; they are already receiving a contribution. The sport is not necessarily poor; it has an income of some £1.35 billion per annum. Distribution and allocation of funds is a matter for the industry. On the horseracing levy, the situation in football is different. The horseracing levy existed before 1972—before we joined the European Union. A football levy could be regarded as breaching the EU’s state aid provisions.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 688 c894-5
Session: 2006-07
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Databases Betting Bookmakers Copyright Finance EU law Football Intellectual property
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk