Close
Search
Menu Menu
[gtranslate]

Is football betting becoming too normalised in the UK?

Credit: BBC
By
London, UK
0 comments
0 comments

Around 700 gambling ads are visible in every Premier League match and live odds are constantly touted online. Here’s why banning front-shirt sponsors for bookies isn’t sufficient.Β 

Football has become synonymous with gambling in the UK, and that is indubitably a problem.Β 

As someone obsessed with the beautiful game, my mind is usually preoccupied with the sporting permutations of each weekend; who is looking likely for a title run, who’s in contention for a top four finish, and who’s likely to be relegated?

For many UK enthusiasts, however, the main draw of football action is provided by an opportunity to earn some extracurricular cashΒ through betting – and a legion of bookies are constantly vying for their attention.Β 

Over the course of a 90-minute game, you’ll see around 700 gambling adverts. That’s about six every minute. Their messages are constantly flooding our subconscious minds through hoardings, television adverts, broadcast set adornments, and even shirt sponsors.

In the case of the latter, betting sponsorship is to be axed for the 2025/26 season on the front of shirts but will still be allowed on shirt sleeves. ThisΒ feels like something of a sideways step when you look at public data on the government website.Β 

An estimated 1.44m people are said to be addicted to gambling in the UK and hundreds of suicides have been attributed to its influence. When kicking back to enjoy the weekend’s fixture list, however, many of the industry’s most influential brands are presented to us as harmless household names.Β 

The entire second tier of English football (The Championship) is partneredΒ by Sky Bet, pre-match and half-time intervals are given to Bet365 to show live odds on its app, and our favourite pundits even pop-up in cheerful, skit-like adverts further affirming the idea that gambling is part of the match-day experience and wider football culture.Β 

It was only yesterday during an episode of satirical US comedy Ted Lasso that I first noticedΒ West Ham’s main shirt sponsor is Betway, a firmΒ sanctioned only last year for puttingΒ marketing material onΒ the children’s section of the officialΒ club website.

Premier League football may be on the cusp of a reckoning soon, with rumours of a third-party regulator being instated to oversee human rights adherence, but specific reform to protect children and recovering addicts from the dangers of gambling doesn’t appear to be forthcoming.Β 

An overhaul to the 2005 Gambling Act has been proposed in a recent white paper, but three years of supposed reviews have yet to materialise in any immediate restrictions to advertising or sponsorship within English football.Β 

With the upcoming shirt-sponsor ban, there is at least explicit acknowledgment that gambling imagery isn’t healthy for the sport’s PR. If we’re to ensure the next generation of football fans are safe, though, increased pressure is needed to ensure this is just the start.

Update (26/05): Premier League striker Ivan Toney (of Brentford FC) has been charged for over 100 betting offences and will miss eight months of professional football.

 

Editor in Chief London, UK

I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Editor in Chief at Thred. Keeping up with gaming and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest mediocre horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback viaΒ email.

Popular

Keep up with thred by signing up to our planet-positive newsletter!

More from thred.

Investing in women’s health could save the UK economy Β£11bn each year
Credit: Thred
People

Investing in women’s health could save the UK economy Β£11bn each year

A new report conducted in the UK estimates that the national government loses more than Β£10 billion annually due to women missing work because of unresolved health issues. It’s an unfortunate truth that women’s health has been overlooked for centuries, leaving major gaps in our medical understanding about the different illnesses and diseases that affect us. In most parts of the world, this lax attitude towards women’s health continues today. Women’s...

By London, UK
Climate change will make this species more vulnerable to ship collisions
Credit: Unsplash
People

Climate change will make this species more vulnerable to ship collisions

A new study suggests that endangered whale sharks will soon abandon their normal habitats due to rapidly warming oceans. This change will place them on directly in line with major shipping routes. The climate crisis is having a profound impact on our planet and all living beings on it, including marine animals. As global ocean temperatures rise, biologists and marine scientists are noticing a series of changes taking place. Coral reefs...

By London, UK
Britain shuts its last power plant and opts for eco-friendly fuel
Credit: Thred
Planet

Britain shuts its last power plant and opts for eco-friendly fuel

The last coal power plant in Britain was closed last week, marking the end of over 140 years of coal-fired electricity and the beginning of more eco-friendly fuel use in the country. Ratcliffe-on-soar, in central England, was home to the last coal power station in the UK. After more than half a century of turning coal, it finished its final shift last Monday at midnight. The UK government has hailed...

By London, England
The Gold Rush destroying Ghana’s agriculture
Credit: Thred
Planet

The Gold Rush destroying Ghana’s agriculture

In recent years, Ghana has been grappling with a crisis that is endangering its land, water and future economy. β€˜Galamsey,’ illegal small-scale mining is a growing epidemic, with devastating effects on the environment. Galamsey, derived from the phrase β€˜gather them and sell,’ refers to the widespread practice of illegal small-scale gold mining in Ghana. What began as a source of livelihood for local communities has evolved into a large-scale environmental...

By Nairobi, Kenya
Accessibility