Arsenal FC: Kick gambling ads out of football!

I'm Calvin a compulsive gambler in recovery. I started gambling a few pounds a week on football pools when I was 19.

At first it wasn't an issue, and was just a bit of fun. However, in my early 20's I started gambling online to the point of being completely out of control. Every Friday was payday, and I would wake up in the early hours knowing my wages had hit the bank and gambled the majority of my wages away. Even if I won a substantial amount of money I would just keep going until I lost everything.
I racked up £1000s of debt due to my gambling, and my mental health really suffered. I would often just look in the mirror and scream at myself, but still I just continued in the cycle of self destruction.

My gambling addiction had a massive impact on my family, relationships and also my love for football as I started to become more interested in gambling rather than enjoying the beautiful game that millions of people love.

Gambling advertising and sponsorship is rife in football, the rise in gambling advertisement around football stadiums is shocking.

There are 409 deaths related to gambling every year in England alone and a YouGov study from this year shows that 2.9 million people are either already addicted or at risk of being so, with a further 3.3 million classified as “affected others”. These stark figures show what we already know: gambling harm is not an issue affecting just a small minority, it is severely harming – sometimes killing – many.

To prevent any young fan from experiencing what I and so many others did, I'm urging Arsenal FC to cancel all gambling partnerships, say no to any new offers, and back The Big Step campaign.

The Big Step is a campaign to end all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, led by people harmed by gambling. We are part of Gambling with Lives, a charity set up by the families and friends of young people who have taken their own lives as a direct result of gambling.