Is football betting becoming too normalised in the UK?

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. 

The entire second tier of English football (The Championship) is partnered 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. 

It was only yesterday during an episode of satirical US comedy Ted Lasso that I first noticed West Ham’s main shirt sponsor is Betway, a firm sanctioned only last year for putting marketing material on the children’s section of the official 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. 

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. 

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.