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
Limited 10k places left as Great Manchester Run half marathon sells out once again
Danny Jones
The AJ Bell Great Manchester Run half marathon has officially sold out yet again for 2025, with just a small number of 10k places left.
With thousands of Mancs and visitors to the region having earned themselves glory at this year’s Manchester Marathon, attention has already turned to the next big event: the Great MCR Run.
Returning for its 22nd year, AJ Bell is bringing the Great Manchester Run back to the city and while tickets for the longest distance may have been snapped up as per, anyone debating taking on the 10k still has time to get their bib through the post.
Go on, you know what want the finish line feeling – not to mention a shiny new medal to score some well-deserved free pints on the day.
Yes, while spaces on the Great Manchester Run have already sold out in no time, there are are now less than 500 still left to grab for the 10k.
The question is, will you be one of them?
Final entries are available for £45 but there are also a select few charity places for anyone who backs themself to raise enough money before race day.
Taking place on Sunday, 18 May, with the first runners getting underway from approximately 8:10am, you’ve not got long to decide whether you want to be part of the action.
It’s worth also worth noting that if you missed out on the half marathon this year but fancy giving the next one a go, you can set a reminder for 2026 entries now.
One final thing: last minute Great Manchester Run entrants for the 10k must be aged 15 and over; a booking fee of £2.50 per entry will also applied at checkout.
Beyond that, provided you’ve got the training under your belt/you already a solid fitness base, the only thing that’s left to do is get ready for the starting gun. You can even take part in the official shake-out run, if you fancy it.
See you for the post-race pints and hopefully some PB showboating!
Say hello to the Official AJ Bell Great Manchester Run Shakeout with @Mitchum – powered by Manchester Run Club 🏃♂️⚡
📍 Great Northern Square 🗓️ 8:30AM | Saturday 17th May 🏃♂️ 5km route
A massive Manchester United fan zone is being set up for the Europa League final – if they make it…
Danny Jones
With the second leg of the Europa League semis looming, in which Manchester United could make it through to the final, a massive fan zone is being tentatively set up.
In truth, they should make it to the conclusion of the UEFA competition – a decider that could see them qualify for the Champions League – given that they took a 3-0 lead back to Old Trafford following the impressive away fixture, but if Man United have proved anything of late, its that they’re unpredictable.
Touch wood, if they make it to the final, supporter park specialists 4 The Fans – the same team behind the huge sites at the likes of Manchester’s Secret City, Love Factory and the Progress Centre for Euro 2024 – are putting one of the biggest fan zones yet.
As always with football, nothing is quite guaranteed, and despite a health advantage that should see them over the line, we’ve seen this side do the unlikeliest of things with leads in recent times. Case and point, that franklyridiculous Lyon comeback.
A massive Man United fan zone is on the cards for this year’s Europa League final. (Credit: 4 The Fans)
Provided the Red Devils get the job done on their end, 4 The Fans are committed to putting on a huge fan zone over in Stretford, and with well over 50,000 fans attending their events over the last three years, it’s sure to be a mega atmosphere.
4 The Fans are giving us real Euro vibes with their upcoming plans.
Set to take over the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, a.k.a. the BEC Arena over in Stretford, the enormous events space will be transformed into one of their biggest fan zones to date, with the biggest screen in Manchester.
VIP seated tickets are also available, and parents are welcome to bring their kids along to the family-friendly event.
Once again, this all hinges on whether or not Man United make it past Athletic Club and book a return trip for the Europa League final, which also happens to be taking place in Bilbao.
However, one of the best bits about all of this is that, in addition to the strong chance of going through,tickets are already available, and supporters are guaranteed their money back if Ruben Amorim’s side manages to capitulate.
No harm, no foul.
Past scenes from international tournaments. (Credit: Supplied)
If the idea of being surrounded by fellow Reds for the game isn’t an attractive enough prospect on its own for you, United fans, the event is also set to be hosted by a club legend (still yet to be announced), with DJs and music, as well as special effects throughout.
Of course, there’ll be plenty of pints and scran to fuel the promoter’s famous fan energy on offer too, so you really will be sorted from start to finish.
Doors to the BEC open at 5:30pm, with last entry at 7:30pm ahead of the 8pm kick-off; tickets start from just £8. Until then, you can watch back the highlights from the previous match down below. You can grab yours HERE.
How are you feeling for the game – do you think they’re going all the way?
Danny Jones -
19th October 2022 
