Discussions on banning gambling sponsorships are a part of the ongoing review of the 2005 Gambling Act. Forest Green Rovers is the first professional English football club to join this campaign and advocate for the end of promotional deals that advertise gambling in football.
Forest Green Rovers, which has never agreed on a gambling sponsorship, has teamed with the Gambling with Lives charity in the Big Step campaign, striving to ban sponsorships and other promotions of gambling activities in professional football. Gambling with Lives is a charity organisation that was founded with the purpose to protect individuals who have suffered any type of gambling-related harm. The charity works closely with football clubs to spread awareness and help the reduction of gambling-related harms.
Meanwhile, the English Football League (EFL) expressed its disagreement with the ban as such a move could further increase the losses during the difficult pandemic situation. According to Rick Parry, chairman of the EFL, a ban on gambling sponsorships would cause losses of around ₤40 million for EFL clubs.
The opposition believes that promoting gambling in football is harming the integrity of the sport and is taking advantage of fans of the game. According to Dale Vince, owner of Forest Green Rovers, gambling advertisements have stripped the fun from football matches, leaving viewers overwhelmed by the huge number of gambling-related promotions.
Big Step Calls for the Ban of All Gambling Sponsorships in Football
Gambling sponsorships are widely spread across professional football in the UK, with eight out of the 20 Premier League teams wearing shirts with logos of their gambling sponsorships. Meanwhile, 10 out of the 24 Championship clubs are also promoting gambling operators by wearing shirts from their sponsors.
Gambling sponsorships, however, do not end with football teams wearing shirts promoting betting operators. Many clubs are also promoting gambling companies on their social media accounts and advertising boards can be seen all around the football pitch. In addition to that, the giant British gambling company Sky Bet has also sponsored the EFL.
Mark Palios, chairman of League Two Tranmere Rovers, previously mentioned that he believes there is no need for gambling sponsorships as football clubs could do just fine without such partnerships. The non-league football club Lewes FC also supported the ban of gambling sponsorships, adding to the number of clubs against gambling advertisements in football.
James Grimes, the founder of the Big Step campaign shared his content of receiving Forest Green Rovers’ support in the fight against gambling addiction. He added that the gambling laws in the UK are outdated and need to change, especially as the gambling industry in the country is constantly evolving. Grimes noted that just as sports are not sponsored by tobacco companies anymore, gambling sponsorships in football should also be banned.
To ensure that the integrity of the sport is maintained and to fully end gambling sponsorships, the campaign targets the ban of shirt sponsorships, banners, stadium promotions, and any other visible advertisements during football matches.
- Author
Daniel Williams
