Politicians must take their share of blame for growth in football betting | David Conn

Jan 09, 2020

The FA has questions to answer but so too do governments past and present over the rapid rise of football betting since deregulation in 2005

It was, on the face of it, classic haplessness of the Football Association to have used the FA Cup third round as a stage for its “take a minute” campaign for mental health, while a clutch of matches were streamed live exclusively on betting sites, a looming risk to financial and mental health. Packaged up by the marketing giant IMG, which bought the TV and media rights to football’s grand old competition from the FA, the deals offer yet another pathway for supporters to inextricably associate the game itself with betting,

Charles Ritchie, whose son Jack killed himself in 2017 after becoming addicted to betting, described the arrangement as “shameful”, a targeting of football supporters which could for some be their route into addiction, and ultimately suicide. A core argument for Ritchie of the Gambling with Lives Campaign he founded with other bereaved families is that betting needs to be treated as a public health risk, and the deluge of offers, marketing and methods tested and regulated accordingly.

Tags: Football Gambling Sport The FA