The UK is a country filled with booming culture, and one of the biggest aspects of culture in the UK is the gambling scene. Gambling is an industry that has been around for hundreds of years and doesn’t really show any signs of going anywhere. Since when people had sword fights and believed in witches, the UK has been betting on things, with horse racing being the start of this. And now, jumping hundreds of years into the future, we are in a very similar position. The UK population still bets on horse racing but now there are more types of betting to really scratch the itch of fans.
Betting is an ever-changing industry and constantly improves, especially with technology improving so much over the last few years. With betting being such a big market, you can bet anywhere and on whatever you like, and even better you can do it from your fingertips. Whether it’s finding a casino with online blackjack UK or finding a new sport to bet on, you will have no issue finding something to bet on and this leads me to my first question.
Why Is Betting Looked at as A Bad Thing?
If betting culture is so integral to the UK, why do some people look at betting so poorly? Well, over the last few years, people have been finding the easy ways to gamble and the best things to bet on and this has had a ripple effect on the issues that come with betting. Obviously, betting addictions are a massive problem and need to be dealt with properly and the betting industry and the people around it are doing what they can to help people.
I think that the gambling industry in general, looks after its players more than a lot of other industries do. With steps being made to make sure players aren’t addicted or on the road to addiction.
Why Does This Affect Football?
With football being the biggest sport in the world, there is no wonder that it is also the most popular sport to bet on. One of the most common sponsorships in football is betting websites and before, there were very few issues with this. Until recently when the tide started to change on the acceptance of gambling in the public eye people wanted to make sure gambling wasn’t being pushed on the youths of football.
This is one of the biggest issues and an issue I agree with. When a kid who watches football wants to buy a shirt then that is obviously fine. Luckily, gambling sponsors aren’t allowed on kids’ shirts. However, what happens when the kid gets their new football shirt and the sponsor is off and they get upset because it’s not exactly like their favourite players? I have seen this reaction first hand and it is not a good look but protecting kids should be a priority on every football fan’s mind.
When a new shop is opened by a club or a new shirt is released by the club, shops and retailers will be less happy to show the kit off if they have a huge gambling sponsorship in the middle of it. Manchester City recently opened a store in the Manchester Centre and in New York, if the Manchester City sponsorship was a huge betting logo, the overall look on the shirt would be much more negative.
What Next?
Well, it was announced that gambling sponsorships will be taken off football shirts by the 2026/27 season and this feels like a good stride to keep football fans safe, this will also keep the betting industry in the positive eye of the public because it isn’t being forced into the lives of people who do not want it there.
