West Ham's shirt sponsorship deal with Betway is set to be affected by new legislation following a UK Government review of gambling laws.
The Hammers signed a six-year, £60million deal with Betway in 2019 but according to a report in the Daily Mail the Hammers could soon be prevented from having Betway on their match shirt.
It is not only shirt sponsorship that could be affected with a wider ban on betting advertising in sport being considered. This could include bans on pitchside hoardings and TV commercials during football matches.
football.london understand that West Ham would have no choice but to abide by the new rules when they come into place, however, the club are as yet are unclear on how it will impact their current agreement with Betway.
The review of the 2005 Hambling Act began in December 2020 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) with the full report due at the end of the year or early 2022 at the latest.
After the review is published there is a three-month consultation period before the bill goes to Parliament to be passed into law, meaning the changes are expected to come into place in 2023.
A DCMS spokesperson said: "We are currently undertaking a comprehensive review of our gambling laws, including advertising and marketing, to make sure they are fit for the digital age.
"We are determined to tackle problem gambling in all its forms and the work will build upon our strong track record of introducing measures to protect those at risk. No decisions have been taken."
Vice-chair of the review Iain Duncan Smith is in favour of the alterations to the Gambling Act: "While I would welcome any move to reduce gambling advertising, and removing ads from the front of shirts would be an important first step, much more needs to be done.
"Ads are everywhere — on hoardings, in magazines, online and on TV. The only way to prevent children being exposed to gambling ads is to ban them."
Labour MP Carolyn Harris, the group's chair, said: "Banning front-of-shirt ads is of course the right thing to do, but it just scratches the surface.
"We're bombarded by gambling adverts and that has to stop. Adverts should be completely banned to protect children and prevent harm."
West Ham have Betway printed on the front of all their home kits, however, when they played in Croatia in the Europa League the sponsor was absent due to local gambling laws.
Hammers fans are currently able to purchase both the home and away kit from the club store either with or without the sponsor.
