Bolton Wanderers have backed a bid to end gambling sponsorship and advertising in sport, becoming the latest club to officially endorse the national campaign.
Spearheaded by the Against the Odds Charter, the initiative is aimed at not just helping improve gambling awareness but bringing an end to associated sponsorships in football and sport altogether.
The club expressed their support for the movement in a statement on Tuesday, 18 October, remarking: “In Greater Manchester, sport is central to the region’s culture, heritage and identity and plays a huge role in bringing communities together.
“Unfortunately, there has been a proliferation of gambling sponsorship and advertising in sport which is reinforcing a perception that betting is a normal part of watching sport.”
🗞️ Bolton Wanderers and @OfficialBWITC have pledged our support to a brand-new campaign – Against the Odds – calling for an end to gambling sponsorship and advertising in sport.
They go on to explain that the overarching goal is to “shine a light on the prevalence of gambling” throughout sporting pyramids across the UK, in the hope of ultimately “phasing out gambling sponsorship and advertising to protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Footballing bodies, gambling awareness campaigners and concerned fans alike have been calling for such action for years now, with numerous petitions set up before the government finally put forward the bill to bring in tougher regulations.
Against the Odds campaign lead Michael Viggars criticised the copy and paste ‘gamble responsibly’ sentiment, arguing that it lacks sincerity when “every square inch of sports stadia [is] being sold to advertise dozens of different sports betting brands”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Credit: Twitter (various) – They’re not just on shirts, they’re everywhere you look
However, as many in political, sporting and public spheres have pointed out, gambling addiction is a serious illness and profit should never come before health and wellbeing.
Like Viggars, James Grimes of The Big Step – a similar anti-gambling in sport organisation – says that moving to Manchester helped him break free from a “12-year gambling addiction” and hopes that Bolton’s backing will see other big clubs follow suit and place themselves “on the right side of history”.
ADVERTISEMENT
At present, these are the EFL and non-league clubs that have joined the campaign to end gambling sponsorships in English football:
Today Bolton have joined these English clubs campaigning to end gambling sponsorship in football 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6BgAn1Hcj2
To put into facts and figures, research by campaigners suggests that gambling logos can appear more than 700 times in a single football match – that’s about six logos every minute – on kits, training gear, on perimeter advertising hoardings, dugouts, press backdrops and more.
Moreover, they estimate that around 1 in 200 people in Greater Manchester (around 14,000 adults) are suffering from “severe gambling harms”, i.e. more people than the capacity of Oldham Athletic’s Boundary Park.
3.8% of the region’s population are considered to be low to moderate risk, which equates to over 96,000 adults in Greater Manchester alone – more than the capacity of the Etihad stadium (55,097), Old Trafford Cricket Ground (26,000) and Sale Sharks’ AJ Bell Stadium (12,000) combined.
Bolton Chairman Sharon Brittan said: “Gambling addiction can have a devastating effect on individuals and their families and communities, and that’s why Bolton Wanderers Football Club is pledging our formal support of the pioneering Against the Odds campaign by signing their charter.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Previously sponsored by the likes of Betfred, the club knows all about the dangers of betting on a local and national scale, making the decision to close their on-site betting facilities at the UniBol Stadium back in 2021 and promise to avoid any new commercial partnerships within the gambling industry.
Here’s hoping this is just the start.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with gambling addiction, you can use vital resources such as GamCare, the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133) Gamblers Anonymous UK, or just get in touch with the NHS directly for more information.
Featured Image — Bolton Wanderers (via Twitter)
Sport
Pep Guardiola says he won’t manage another club after Manchester City
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola has claimed he won’t manage another team after his tenure at Manchester City is up, so enjoy the ride whilst you can, Blues.
One of the most successful managers in history, Pep Guardiola is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers to have ever lived but it looks like the 53-year-old is now starting to think about life after football – or at least after Man City.
Guardiola recently extended his stay at the Eithad with a new two-year contract but it did look like he was ramping up to leave until the 11th hour and it now seems as though his time at City will be his last in the world of club football.
Pep Guardiola claims that he won't manage another club after Manchester City…
When asked about his future by his fellow compatriot, Pep said: “I’m going to stop. I am not going to join another team, I’m not going to leave to go to another country. I won’t have the energy. For now, I’m still here but to think about starting again, the whole process of training – no, no.”
Energy has been a defining factor for so many managers of late, with long-time rival Jürgen Klopp having departed Liverpool FC as a result of the fatigue caused by the job.
With countless cups, six Premier League titles and a trio of Champions League trophies to his name, Pep has pretty much won everything there is to win, which will no doubt factor into his eventual decision.
That being said, Pep did go on to suggest that however long he stays in the sport after his time in Manchester is all said and done, his next role would likely be in international football as leading a country to major silverware is the one thing he hasn’t achieved just yet.
City have managed to get points back on the board in their last two games, notching a much-needed 3-0 against Nottingham Forest before only managing to scrape a draw against Crystal Palace this past weekend, but with a derby approaching this Sunday, all eyes are on Manchester.
With the title race already looking like a nigh on an insurmountable task given the points they’ve already drooped (even with Liverpool’s recent slip-up), Pep’s stress and energy are already pushed to their limits as it is.
You might only get a couple more years with the tactical genius, City fans, so make the most of it.
You can watch Pep Guardiola’s full interview with Dani García down below – though it is in Spanish so you will need subtitles on:
Manchester City’s alleged charges have been increased to 130
Danny Jones
Manchester City’s hearing over their 115 alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) has ended and the outcome is that their charges have now been increased to 130.
Not exactly what Blues will want to hear.
The hearing officially concluded last Friday, 6 December after a 12-week process to determine whether they broke Premier League regulations regarding PSR (profit and sustainability), with accusations initially spanning a nine-year period.
However, rather than making any progress when it comes to clearing their record, it looks as though the opposite has happened.
Man City are now alleged to have committed 130 breaches of Premier League rules with both parties still able to enter an official appeal.
The hearing was held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre near St Paul’s in London, kicking off in September before coming to a close on Friday, 6 December.
Fans will no doubt have been hoping for and maybe even expecting a much more positive update, especially after having been successful in their recent case against the division regarding sponsorship deals and Associated Party Transactions (APT).
As well as the number of alleged breaches having risen to 130, the period of offence is also now said to have been extended, jumping from just under a decade to a total of 14 years.
The Times writer Martyn Ziegler says the club could quietly learn of their fate as soon as next month and even though a final decision still isn’t expected until spring 2025, should either side appeal the final outcome, this will likely draw out proceedings for several more months.
Man City’s charges have gone from 115 to 130. (Credit: The Manc Group)
For context, City still deny all of the claims laid against them, which include failing to provide accurate financial information for as many as nine seasons, full details of players’ wages, hiding the true figure former manager Roberto Mancini was paid for her service, as well as failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation and UEFA’s FFP rules.
The club were slapped with a two-year European ban back in 2020 and have been fined by the European footballing body previously, but that ban was ultimately dropped and even their most recent financial punishment was dropped from £30 million to just £10m – chump change given their spending power.
It still remains unclear what exactly will happen to the reigning English champions if they are found guilty but with Pep Guardiola’s also struggling for form of late, having lost five games in a row for the first time in the Catalan’s career, those inside the Etihad could do with some good news.
The blue moon that has loomed over Manchester in recent years is looking a little lost behind the clouds at the minute.
Danny Jones -
19th October 2022 
