With the UK still failing to produce its long-awaited gambling reforms, these types of campaigns might become more and more frequent. Groups of supporters seem to spring from every corner, so the general public is definitely feeling the holdup.
Protesting to Stop Gambling ads in Soccer
A campaign by The Big Step group, which is part of the Gambling with Lives charity, will take place from November 5 through November 8. It carries the name Yellow Laces and participating clubs from England, Scotland, and Wales will have their players wearing yellow laces to support the ban on gambling advertising and sponsorships in soccer.
The campaign coincides with part of Addiction Awareness Week, which is from October 30 through November 6, and also follows the release of data by the UK Gambling Commission, showing that gambling addiction has spiked among 16-24-year-olds. Public Health England’s estimation for the number of gambling-related suicides sits around 7-8%, which means that approximately 400 suicides a year are potentially gambling-related.
According to the post on The Big Foot’s website “More than 700 gambling adverts can appear during a single televised Premier League match,” and underlined how Betway got £400,000 fine (approximately $449 thousand at the time of writing) for having its clickable ads on the junior pages of West Ham’s website. The post underlined that it’s a place “where children could color in a teddy bear.”
Multiple Teams to Join Protest, Don Yellow
The Big Step is part of the Gambling with Lives charity, and also operates the Football Supporters Against Gambling Ads (Football SAGA) platform, which brings soccer fans and those who’ve suffered from gambling harm together. The Yellow Laces campaign is a joint effort and it, along with supporters, have taken their mission to limit gambling harm as much as possible.
For some players, this protest is not just an event to join, and has relevance on a personal level as well. The Big Step’s post shared a few words from Lewis Carey – a Lewes FC player who is recovering from gambling addiction. He was cited saying that he’ll be wearing yellow laces to bring the problematic connection between gambling and soccer to light, and to fight for change. He also expressed his wishes to set an example for the younger generation and to send a warning that gambling can destroy lives.
Not only players but owners are taking the initiative to heart as well, as did Dale Vince – the owner and chairman of the Forest Green Rovers soccer club. His harsh words condemned gambling companies for exploiting soccer players and the game itself for margins. “Their overwhelming presence in our national sport is hyper-normalizing an addictive harmful product,” Vince was cited as saying.
The teams joining the protest are: Forest Green Rovers, Llantwit Major, Tranmere Rovers, Dulwich Hamlet, Billericay Town, Lewes, Glasgow City, Lewes Women, and Lewes FC.
A harmful product is not a sustainable one, so it’s both in the interest of the public, as well as all operators that harm is limited and minimized, if not eliminated.