Last Friday afternoon The Imps announced gambling company ‘Betting.bet’ as their back of home shirt sponsors.
Many fans noted the absence of a sponsor on the back of the new shirts last month – with presumably a lack of sponsors around coming out of the pandemic.
The use of a betting company may be controversial – the club and Supporters’ Board have previously opted against betting companies on the front of the shirt, although this is always up for review.
While the Imps’ stance is admirable, there is no escaping betting advertising at the modern game. Visit Sincil Bank, and ‘Sky Bet’ logos are everywhere; watch Sky Sports and every ad break seems to be top and tailed with betting advertisements (there is a ban immediately before and during the game… when viewers are likely to see logos on shirts and in-stadia anyway!).
A House of Lords Select Committee report in July looked at the impact of gambling in the UK and recommended the removal of betting sponsors in the coming years. Last year half of the Premiership teams and 17/24 in the Championship had gambling firms as shirt sponsors.
Campaigners believe that betting has been normalised within football and can lead to addiction.
Removal of such advertising would, of course, remove revenue from clubs exactly when they can afford it least. The report suggests that this would hit smaller clubs (not benefiting from as much TV revenue) the most.
The gambling industry contributes something like £40m per year into EFL clubs – can clubs afford to turn their backs on this?
Gambling has been shown to have a significant effect on financial and mental health. During the pandemic, this has been a major concern, with a lack of capacity for helplines and mental health services. Millions of people are affected and hundreds of lives are lost or families devastated from gambling addiction each year.
On the flip side, millions participate in gambling as part of their sporting experience and take part in this at a level they can afford and enjoy.
For Lincoln City, there is no escaping the link between the game and betting companies, and particularly at the moment the club is not able to turn its back on legitimate funding streams.
However, it needs to be mindful of its place in the community and of the impact gambling addiction does have on many in the UK.
As the ad goes – when the fun stops, stop…
Writer: Impala
You can discuss this topic, as well as many others, on 100% Imps!
If you haven’t already had a go at our quizzes, this is a great way to learn some random information about the Football Club, as well as helping us generate much-needed page views: Quiz No.1, Quiz No.2, Quiz No.3, Quiz No.4, Quiz No.5, Quiz No.6, Quiz No.7, Quiz No.8, Quiz No.9, Quiz No.10, Quiz No.11, Quiz No.12, Quiz No.13, Quiz No.14, Quiz No.15, Quiz No.16, Quiz No.17, Quiz No.18, Quiz No.19, Quiz No.20, Quiz No.21, Quiz No.22, Quiz No.23, Quiz No.24, Quiz No.25, Quiz No.26, Quiz No.27, Quiz No.28, Quiz No.29 and Quiz No.30.
"While the Imps' stance is admirable, there is no escaping betting advertising at the modern game."https://t.co/CViCYtg0Vk#ImpsAsOne #ProudToBeImps #EFL pic.twitter.com/fF7L3wJERw
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) September 7, 2020
https://www.facebook.com/VitalLincolnCity/posts/3252249191477970
