How did gambling take over football?

Beyond Today

BBC

News

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2019

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last week Championship side Derby County announced Wayne Rooney, the former England captain, would be joining the team as a player-coach on a reported £100,000-a-week contract and will wear the number 32. Derby also secured a “record-breaking sponsorship” deal with the online casino 32Red. The news has raised questions about football’s links to gambling at a time when the industry is booming and smartphones have made it easier to place bets than ever before. So, is the transfer more than just a savvy football deal? BBC 5Live reporter Katie Shanahan tells us about the two teams — Huddersfield and Derby — who collaborated with betting firms this summer. We also speak to sport finance expert Dr Dan Plumley about how much the gambling industry contributes, and comedian Lloyd Griffith about what a healthier relationship between football and the bookies could look like. Producers: Alicia Burrell and Duncan Barber. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:06.6	Hello, I'm Matthew Price.
0:08.6	This is Beyond Today from BBC Radio 4.
0:11.7	We ask one big question every day about one big story.
0:17.0	Today how did gambling take over football?
0:27.0	Twelve years ago a decision was made in this country. The government changed the law to make it easier for gambling firms to advertise. Betting ads popped up on TV in a way that they just hadn't before.
0:42.0	At about the same time, we all... in a way that they just hadn't before.
0:43.0	At about the same time, we all began using smartphones,
0:47.0	which allowed the gambling industry to sit in the palm of our hand.
0:51.0	Now, basically, these two things helped lead us to where we are today.
0:56.0	Gamblers in the country are now losing almost twice as much as they were a decade ago.
1:01.0	Fourteen and a half billion pounds last year. The gambling industry is booming and
1:07.4	perhaps the place that you notice the growth most is in football. People have
1:11.9	always bet on the sport but now there are all these ads for
1:15.2	betting on the game that you see all over the place. So many teams are sponsored by betting firms.
1:21.6	And then this summer two teams seemed to go further than anyone had
1:26.1	imagined. The first was Huddersfield when they stepped out onto the pitch for a
1:31.0	pre-season friendly against Rochdale at the Crown Oil Arena.
1:35.0	Katie Shanahan from Five Live Sport told me about it.
1:39.0	The players came out wearing a huge advertising logo across their shirts essentially like a sash from the shoulder to the hip.
1:46.8	To begin with, lots of Huddersfield fans were shocked and annoyed as they thought it was
1:52.0	going to be their new kit for the season.
	...

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