UK anti-gambling advertisement group to walk sponsored 130 miles
A group of recovering gambling addicts in the UK are taking part in a 130-mile walk to call for an end to gambling advertisement in football.
The sponsored walk will take the ‘Big Step’ and ‘Gambling with Lives’ members to the stadiums of eight English football clubs who have partnerships with gambling companies.
James Grimes, ‘Big Step’ founder, has asked for public support for a petition which calls on the UK Government to end gambling sponsorship and advertising in football.
Through the challenge, the group is also aiming to raise awareness of the impact of gambling addiction on mental health.
Ahead of the restart of the English Premier League, a large number of clubs signed new partnerships with gambling companies.
Last month, newly-promoted Premier League side Leeds United signed a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with sports betting brand SBOTOP. Meanwhile, Arsenal FC formed a partnership with crypto-currency based sportsbook company Sportsbet.io last week.
The amount of gambling sponsorship deals in the English football leagues has raised significant opposition among the industry’s critics and some mainstream media in recent years. It is expected that current laws on gambling sponsorship in sport will be assessed as part of the UK Government’s review of the UK Gambling Act 2005.
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