Lewes FC have become the first club professional or semi pro to display a warning about problem gambling on their kit.
They will display the ‘Gambling With Lives’ slogan and wear the Gamble With Lives logo – a charity set up by families bereaved by gambling suicides until October to spread awareness with the club warning that football sponsorship by betting firms is “at saturation point” and causing “harm” to fans.
This is absolutely fantastic by Lewes. Well done to all involved and let’s hope that more follow suit! ??@LewesFCMen @LewesFCWomen #gamblingaddiction #gamblingwithlives #addiction #mentalhealth https://t.co/e2NzDwNZc9
— Mind Over Matter Foundation (@momfoundation_) September 13, 2019
Gambling With Lives co-founder Charles Ritchie told BBC Sport: “Football has become infected by gambling and this prevalence has normalised and glamourised gambling to young football fans.
“This partnership with Lewes FC symbolises that people within football are becoming increasingly angered by the prevalence of gambling within the sport they love, as well as becoming more aware of the dangers involved.”
Lewes director John Peel added: “Sponsorship of football by the gambling industry is at saturation point and we need to recognise the harm this has caused to young adults and children and ask ourselves whether the football world was better or worse when there was no gambling advertising in it.”
A Gambling Commission report claims that there are 430,000 problem gamblers in the UK, with a further 2 million people at risk but also a more recent study states the number of children are being classed as having a gambling problem is now to more than 50,000 in two years.
Shockingly, for the 2019/20 campaign, 27 of the 44 teams in the Premier League and Championship have betting firms on their shirts.
Now we are seeing more players than ever getting lengthly bans for breaking the rules by putting bets on hundreds of matches of periods of time.
A huge amount of football fans took to praise Lewes for sending out this message and spreading awareness to what is an increasingly worrying issue in football today – see what was tweeted on the next page.

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