More than 20,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the British football club Everton to drop their new gambling sponsor. The amount of opposition was described as unprecedented.
The club announced a “record” deal with online casino stake.com in early June. The deal includes stake.com logos on men’s and women’s team shirts next season, according to the BBC.
Everton facilitated the arrangement to help make up for its £372 million (US$452 million) in losses over the last three seasons. As of this writing, Everton will keep its partnership despite opposition.
Fellow club Norwich scrapped a gambling sponsor last season following protests which accused the marketing materials as being sexualized. Preston North End did not renew their betting partnership because of fan sentiment.
Everton season ticket holder Ben Melvin, who admits he has a gambling addiction, established the petition to send a message about the potential harm. But he never expected this kind of reaction.
“The partnership does not sit right with the club’s motto, the standards the club sets off the pitch and the fantastic work done by the club’s Everton In The Community in tackling mental health issues,” Melvin said. “I realize Everton may not change their decision, but I want them to know how many people have signed it and understand how some fans feel.”
A recent YouGov survey said 1.4 million people in Britain suffer from gambling harm and even more are at risk.
But the Premier League, the English Football League and Betting and Gaming Council all say there is a lack of evidence of a causal relationship.
The government is set to decide on whether to change gambling laws, including a ban of sponsorship in football, next month.
