EFL chairman Rick Parry has defended football’s eligibility for sponsorships related to responsible betting while acknowledging that there are no “magic solutions” for curing player addiction.
The Italian Football Federation recently slapped a 10-month ban on Newcastle player Sandro Tonali, bringing the sport’s link with gambling back into the public eye. The Football Association is looking into potential violations of betting regulations in England, and the player—according to his agent—has an addiction to gambling.
The player should have received “empathy and support” instead of a harsh punishment, according to the Big Step campaign, which is a division of the Gambling With Lives organisation. It further stated: “Sending someone addicted to gambling into this environment is like sending an alcoholic to work in a pub.” Don’t be shocked if young football players utilise addictive items if you push them to endorse them.
The top four divisions are heavily sponsored by the betting industry; Stoke City is owned by bet365, the biggest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, which also provides sponsorship for the stadium and shirt. The goal of the partnership with bet365 is to make football accessible to the local population. Stoke has maintained season ticket prices at the same level since 2008 and has provided complimentary bus transportation to away games since 2013.
Since the Premier League’s relegation in 2018, the company’s financial support has been particularly crucial because of the stark differences in revenue between the divisions.
Parry told the PA news agency that since the Gambling Act of 2005, betting companies have made “billions” of pounds out of sport. His organisation signed a new deal with Sky Bet in June, which will serve as its title sponsor until 2029. Parry continued, “It’s only fair that there is a way of channelling some of that revenue into sport.”
“I have no problem at all conceptualising allowing sports to negotiate marketing deals in order to receive a portion of the billions that are coming in.” We’ve looked into this thoroughly, commissioned research, and found no evidence that sponsorship increases gambling or causes harm from gaming.
“Gambling values in England have remained relatively stable over the years, and there is no clear link between gambling harm and sponsorship.” Nobody wants gambling to hurt them, nor do they want addicts among players or even non-players. However, there are actually two distinct challenges that are sometimes confused when discussing our interactions with both players and non-players.
The Government’s white paper on gambling reform, which was released in April, singled out the EFL’s collaboration with Sky Bet for commendation as an illustration of the kind of socially conscious arrangement that sports should aim for.
The EPIC Risk Awareness project, which has educated players and staff at all 72 EFL teams, has been funded by Sky Bet since 2018. Over the last two years, 2,200 players and staff have participated in the curriculum. This year alone, Sky Bet’s parent firm Flutter plans to invest £20 million in more research, teaching, and therapy.
“Responsible behaviour is crucial,” Parry continued. We’ve been teaching players for the past five years at the very least, and we’ll keep teaching them more. To be honest, though, that won’t ever make people stop wanting to bet. 10% of people bet, and they always will.
It is a reality of life that prohibition is ineffective; thus, the best course of action is to establish a framework, educate the public, model responsible behaviour, and take all reasonable steps to reduce harm, but completely eradicating it is extremely challenging. Players would continue to wager if it weren’t for the sponsorship of Sky wager; they always have and always will.
It is our duty to make an effort to help and educate; the issue is not one of punishment alone. It’s not only about identifying punishment, as we’ve seen very brutally in Italy lately; it’s also about recognising that some of the players have real addiction issues. There are no quick fixes; it’s about how you support both punishment and rehabilitation.
It’s an issue that will never go away. Without in any way acting as though it doesn’t exist, we must make an effort to confront and deal with it. However, it shouldn’t stop us from forming ethical and prudent marketing partnerships in light of the fact that gambling companies profit handsomely from sports and have been urged to do so by
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