I know this was a much talked about topic when CAFC made a deal with Betdaq a little while ago but couldn't find a topic specific to that discussion.
Labour announces they would ban football clubs from signing sponsorship deals with betting companies.
2
Comments
So I support this 100%.
Football punters pump their money into betting companies.
Betting companies pump their money into football.
Economics 101
Betting and alcohol will be banned first, then sweets, fizzy drinks, fast food and fried breakfasts.
We live in a time where all our thinking has to be done for us.
I don't know how much difference shirt sponsorship makes to people's gambling habits, surely that glut of gambling adverts you get on TV during matches is far more "damaging"? I looked up Betdaq, and still have no idea what they actually do!
Personally I dislike having a betting company sponsoring us but I'd defend our right to have them...
But I do agree that the way the companies operate needs to be regulated better.
For example the way they go about their business on Twitter is shocking. The thread the other day about transfer speculation is a good example but they also have arrangements with those "tipster" accounts that definitely needs to be looked at.
I saw one the other day where an account was photoshopping betslips to make it look like they'd won more than they had. Then they would conveniently put a link in to back his next bet (at the higher/photoshopped stake) and the account gets a % of the money staked. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the betting companies themselves running the tipster accounts.
I don't think they should be banned, I still find it odd that a child's football shirt can't have a betting company on it, yet they go in the ground and all they can see is BetDaq on every other ad board!
That said, if we wanted to look at unsavory business entities and individuals with strong ties to football, its organizing bodies, and individual clubs we'd be here all night and into tomorrow. That's not a reason to not take action. It'd be like saying "since we can't stop all crime we may as well not make laws" (note: gambling obviously not a crime, this is just an analogy), but I think it's only fair to note that there is a lot of shady money in the game.
Also, in the interest of full disclosure whenever I go to The Valley I'll usually put 2 quid or something down on a result or a first goalscorer or something. The first couple times I did it we won, so it's become something of a good luck charm which admittedly has not brought much luck.
I'm also willing to listen to the other side of things. Because I wasn't raised in England I'm not really used to the culture of betting, which I think by-and-large is wholly harmless, so perhaps I have a perspective that doesn't necessarily match reality.
Gambling is wasted on me, I have no interest in it. Mugs game.