A new study has shown that gambling adverts are shown up to 3,500 times over the course of a single Premier League match.
The conversation over gambling adverts in football has only intensified following the ban on front-of-shirt sponsors, which has been criticised by problem gambling charities and advocates for not going far enough.
Removing gambling sponsors from shirts won’t come into effect for another three years, and clubs are free to negotiate new deals in the meantime – for example Aston Villa’s recent partnership with Asian betting site BR88, which was recently criticised by FA President Prince William.
There certainly may be case to be had after a recent study revealed the sheer volume of gambling adverts on show throughout a televised Premier League match.
Psychologists from four separate universities led the study, which examined 10 different top-flight matches from last season, covering every team in the process.
West Ham vs Chelsea was found to be the fixture that featured gambling adverts the most frequently, with researchers counting 3,522 sightings of betting logos due to the Hammers’ partnership with UK bookmaker Betway.
Although team shirts are perceived to be the most prominent vehicle for operators to advertise, they only accounted for 6.9% of visible gambling logos.
By contrast, pitch-side hoardings made up half of all visible sightings of betting logos on television.
“This disgusting level of gambling advertising around football stadiums is a national shame and shows why removing the ads from shirts is nowhere near enough,” a spokesperson for football advertising campaign group Big Step said.
“Every one of those 3,500 nudges to gamble is a potential hook into addiction for young fans, their parents and even players. The harm gambling advertising causes is no longer ignorable; the government needs to step in and end all gambling advertising in football.”
Premier League clubs will still be free to strike partnerships with bookmakers in order for them to advertise on shirt sleeves, pitch-side hoardings and even as far as stadium naming rights.
