{"id":328,"date":"2019-09-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gbc.ng\/32reds-uk-football-sponsorships-to-promote-responsible-gambling\/"},"modified":"2019-09-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T00:00:00","slug":"32reds-uk-football-sponsorships-to-promote-responsible-gambling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gbc.ng\/index.php\/32reds-uk-football-sponsorships-to-promote-responsible-gambling\/","title":{"rendered":"32RED\u2019S UK FOOTBALL SPONSORSHIPS TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING"},"content":{"rendered":"

Online gambling operatorKindred Group<\/strong>\u2019s online casino brand\u00a032Red<\/strong>\u00a0plans to use its UK football sponsorships to promote responsible gambling, even as footie fans say they don\u2019t want their clubs sponsored by betting operators.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Kindred announced that the five 32Red-sponsored UK football clubs would feature responsible gambling messages on the front of their jerseys in each match in which two of the clubs square off against each other during the 2019-20 season.<\/p>\n

Each of the five clubs will have a unique responsible gambling message: Stay In Control (Rangers), Never Chase Losses (Preston), Play Responsibly (Derby County), Keep Gambling Fun (Leeds United) and Set Deposit Limits (Middlesbrough). The first meeting between these clubs \u2013 Leeds v. Derby \u2013 takes place this Saturday (21).<\/p>\n

Kindred\u2019s new responsible gambling commitment had its start during a recent Rangers v. Celtic match at which Rangers\u2019 jerseys featured the Stay In Control message, which Kindred claims was viewed by a live audience of over 670k.<\/p>\n

Kindred\u2019s UK GM\u00a0Neil Banbury<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>said gambling firms need to do more to promote responsible gambling and football clubs have \u201ca unique reach and cut through with adult audiences, and as such are a great avenue for promoting healthier gambling behavior and advocating for control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kindred cited recent English Football League research that claimed 71% of footie fans were okay with gambling firms having involvement in the sport. However, newer research by the industry-fundedGambleAware<\/strong>\u00a0charity and the Football Supporters\u2019 Association (FSA) casts a more pejorative view of gambling sponsorship.<\/p>\n

The FSA\/GambleAware survey found that only 13% of respondents are or would be happy if their club was to sign a gambling sponsor. Additionally, 84% of respondents took a dim view of gambling firms sponsoring individual players, with many citing\u00a032Red\u2019s recent deal with Derby County<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 which will seeWayne Rooney<\/strong>\u00a0take to the pitch wearing the number 32 \u2013 as particularly objectionable.<\/p>\n

FSA CEO\u00a0Kevin Miles<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>said football clubs have \u201ca duty of care\u201d to their fans and his group would be \u201cpushing clubs, particularly those with prominent gambling sponsors to do better.\u201d GambleAware CEOMarc Etches<\/strong>\u00a0added that the survey confirmed that both clubs and gambling operators \u201ccould do more to encourage safe betting and make people, especially young people, aware of the risks.\u201d<\/p>\n

In that sense, 32Red\u2019s new shirt initiative is a step in the right direction. But it also suggests a sense of atonement for its Rooney gambit, which was roundly savaged well beyond the usual UK media suspects. There\u2019s clearly a consensus that\u00a0gambling sponsorship of UK football<\/strong>\u00a0has officially\u00a0jumped the shark<\/strong>, and even efforts to underscore that sentiment have\u00a0not gone unpunished<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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