Football Supporters Against Gambling Ads

We are a collection of football fans harmed by gambling – including families who’ve lost loved ones to gambling-related suicide – standing together to kick gambling ads out of football.

We are not alone – 2.9 million people in the UK are addicted to gambling or at risk of becoming so, while Public Health England estimates there are 409 deaths related to gambling every year in England alone.

Gambling companies have hijacked football to use it as a platform to advertise addictive and dangerous products. This must stop.

Please support us by signing and sharing your club's petition below.

Scroll down to find the petition for the club you support or local team

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of 100,000 signatures
across 30 local campaigns
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Campaigns (30)

  • Derby
    Derby County FC: Kick gambling ads out of football!
    My son lost his best friend, Jack, to suicide caused by gambling addiction. 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 Jack and so many others did, I'm urging Derby Country FC to cancel all gambling partnerships, say no to any new offers, and back The Big Step campaign.
    222 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Tim Furness
  • Huddersfield Town FC: Kick gambling ads out of football!
    My best mate is a gambling addict but thankfully is well on the way to recovery. We have known each other for around 14 years, 12 of which he was suffering a secretive and destructive addiction. Like many the path started with betting on the football. Gambling-related harm effects over 3 million people in the UK, their has been 409 gambling-related suicides in the UK each year, and 2.9 million people are addicted or at risk of being addicted. The industry has been accepted as the norm in many young people lives, and this has been achieved through gambling advertising. A norm that is causing misery, a norm that football is accepting and helping to promote. Ipsos Mori found that 37% of 11-16-year-olds in England and Scotland have gambled in the last 12 months and almost 2% of these are classified as ‘problem’ gamblers. Huddersfield Town Football Club mission statement states 'We will do the right thing by our supporters and our community, even when nobody else is there to see it' can the club hand on heart feel they are achieving this by allowing gambling partnerships and advertising and promoting such a dangerous addiction? I’m calling on terrier fans to join with a growing wave of support for an end to gambling sponsorship in football. In doing so, we can make football safer. Please support me by adding your name to this petition.
    214 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Simon Kilner
  • Sheffield
    Sheffield Wednesday: Kick gambling ads out of football!
    Gambling with Lives want to end gambling sponsorship in sport but particularly football. Our son Lewis was a lifelong Owl and his ashes are all around his favourite ground Hillsborough. He took his own life at the age of 34 as a direct result of his gambling addiction. We implore his club and all the rest of the football community to realise what these gambling company vultures are doing to vulnerable sports fans across the UK and demand an immediate ban of all gambling advertising across ‘the beautiful game’…. Not one more person should suffer the pain his family and all his friends experienced as a result of his illness…. Because gambling companies prey on the most vulnerable, invading their lives by way of mobile devices, offering them more and more ways to increase the addiction dependency and driving them further and further into despair… Gambling advertising must STOP now!!!!!
    209 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Pete Keogh
  • Middlesbrough FC: Kick gambling ads out of football!
    I have experienced, in someone I know very well, the helplessness of a young Boro fan suffering from the uncontrollable need to gamble, accompanied by the guilt, the shame, the increasing debts, and the deep depression that gambling addiction causes. Ex-Boro star Paul Merson said “gambling addiction is a baffling, cunning, hideous disease that gets hold of you. Gambling addicts think they are bad people but they’re not, they’re ill people who need to get well.” I have read the research about how the rational part of the gambler’s brain is overcome in a microsecond and the chilling facts about the gambling industry spending £1.5 billion a year on advertising, and that the industry makes 86% of online profit from 5% of gamblers – those suffering from gambling addiction, some of whom will be Boro fans. The recent fine of £17 million for Entain (the firm that owns Ladbrokes and Coral) over its multiple failings and inaction to do necessary affordability checks is only one example of how gambling operators exploit their customers. Boro must have nothing to do with such an industry. We need to stand together to demand that Boro has nothing to do with an industry that encourages addiction. Boro football is too good to be making money out of products that cause mental illness. This petition is not against gambling, nor the choice of Boro supporters to choose to gamble but, since gambling addiction is recognized as an illness in the way that nicotine addiction is, we need to kick gambling adverts out of Boro football in the same way as we have kicked cigarette adverts out of sports years ago. In the words of one of our Boro songs that I have adapted: “We’re the red army from Middlesbrough And we stand and sing, Kick gambling adverts out of Boro footy, You are my Boro, my only Boro. Kick gambling adverts out of Boro, You’ll make me happy When skies are grey.”
    189 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Eileen D
  • Swansea City FC: Kick gambling ads out of football
    My name is Nick Phillips and I had over 20 years where I was addicted to gambling. Football played a prominent part in that addiction. I do not want my kids or anyone else's kids to fall fowl to this illness. For that to happen football clubs need to take more responsibility in what they advertise to their fans and as a family based club Swansea City need to be proactive in not advertising harmful addictive products. There are an estimated 409 deaths related to gambling a year and a YouGov study from this year shows that 2.9 million people are either addicted or at risk of becoming addicted, with a further 3.3 million classified as "affected others". These stark figures show that harm is not an issue affecting a small minority, but is severely harming- sometimes killing many. To prevent any young fan from experiencing what I have gone through and what many others have, I'm urging Swansea City FC to cancel all gambling partnerships, say no to any new offers, and back The Big Step campaign.
    189 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Nick Phillips
  • Barnsley FC: KICK GAMBLING ADS OUT OF FOOTBALL
    I'm Will, and for 12 years I was addicted to gambling. My addiction started, like with so many, with football. As a kid I loved football and supported my local football club Barnsley FC. Once I hit 18 years old and placed my first football bet I was lost to an awful addiction. This led me down a dark path which ended with me contemplating suicide as the only way out. My relationships with everyone close to me suffered and I'm lucky to be able to say I'm out of the other side today and happy. I'm pleased that Barnsley FC have never had a gambling sponsor, other than the league sponsor, and would love them to join The Big Step Campaign, to end footballs relationship with gambling advertising for good. 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 Barnsley FC to say no to any gambling sponsors, and back The Big Step campaign.
    158 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Will Halstead
  • Coventry City FC: Kick gambling ads out of football!
    My name is Sean, I am a recovering gambling addict, I suffered for 14 years in the grips of the hands of gambling companies, taking every penny I earned and developing my behaviour into something that was not normal to those that knew me. This all started from my first bet, underage at the age of 15 in my local ladbrokes on the way to the cov game. Since then, we have seen a rise in gambling advertisement around football stadiums and over the last 5 years we have seen a massive influx of front of shirt sponsorship. During second season at Birmingham we announced we would have a gambling sponsor, Boylesports. This meant that people would be walking around the streets of cov as walking billboards for a betting company. The stranglehold of betting companies on football clubs was never more prominent when we renewed it for 2 more years upon our return to the Ricoh and the club posted google map searches and directions to every Boylesports shop in the city. This led to me getting involved with the Big Step. It is a an off branch to the charity - Gambling with lives, a charity set up by the bereaved families of those who have committed suicide due to a gambling addiction ruining every aspect of their lives to the point of no return. The aim of the Big Step is to highlight the rise of front of shirt sponsorships to the government and the damage that seeing such advertisement will do, there are already 55,000 children identified as having a gambling addiction in the country and until we get rid of front of shirt sponsorship it will only get worse. I know people will use the phrase that 'they don't print gambling sponsors on kids shirts' but realistically, how many secondary school kids do you know can still fit into childrens clothes? Look around up the CBS this season and see how many kids 100% under the age of 18 that will have 'Boylesports' on their shirts. Where do you think those kids are going to go for their first bet? There is a reason why these companies are acting like vultures and trying to take over our beautiful game. If you want to send a message to the government to ban this vile practice of advertising on the front of our shirts then please sign and send on - RT, message, anything. You can also get involved with the Big Step by clicking on this link below. www.the-bigstep.com
    149 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Sean Moore
  • Sheffield United FC: Kick gambling ads out of football
    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 Jack Ritchie, a young man in the prime of his life and a keen Sheffield United supporter, and so many others did, I'm urging Sheffield United FC to cancel all gambling partnerships, say no to any new offers, and back The Big Step campaign
    140 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Dave Campbell
  • Birmingham City F.C: Kick gambling ads out of football!
    I Ian R suffered severe losses that spanned over a period of time gambling on football matches while watching my club play on a week to week basis. The harm it did to my mental health above all else and also my family who suffered throughout this time I can never be replaced. The constant reminders when seeing football matches with gambling ads around stadiums and also clubs who take money from gambling companies keeps me away from watching football live now. There are 409 deaths related to gambling every year in England alone and a Yougov study from this year shows that 2.9million are either already addicted or at risk of being so with a further 3.3million classified as affected others. These stark figures show that 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 myself and so many others did, I'm urging Birmingham City F.C to cancel all gambling partnerships, say NO to any new offers and back The Big Step campaign.
    139 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Ian Richards
  • West Bromwich Albion FC: Kick gambling ads out of football!
    My name's Mike and I've been an Albion fan since I was taken to the Hawthorns in April 2000 to see us draw 4-4 against Bolton, I was only 6 years old. I'm 27 now (soon to be 28) and the last 21 years I've followed Albion through some amazing highs and crushing lows. We have always been a club of inclusion, we are family-orientated trailblazers, unapologetically loud and a founding club of the modern game. We are a beacon of what is and should be right within football, which is why I am asking our club to sever all ties with the promotion of gambling. I am becoming increasingly concerned with the prevalence of gambling promotion and sponsorship within the game we all love, and unfortunately our own baggies are not immune to this. When I got my first mobile phone I chose T-mobile as my network provider, somehow feeling I was supporting West Brom through doing so, such is the power of advertisement. We have had previous gambling shirt sponsors, the advertising hoardings around the Hawthorns is full of gambling adverts, our social media includes a gambling company on our HT/FT scores and we play in a league sponsored by a gambling company. I have seen some of my closest friends, whom I have known since childhood, struggle through gambling addiction and lose 10's of thousands of pounds. Thankfully, they are still here today, but a frightening number of gambling addicts unfortunately take their own life. I am NOT anti-gambling, but I absolutely AM against the now almost synonymous link between gambling and football, these two do not belong hand in hand. 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 my close friends and so many others did, I'm urging West Bromwich Albion FC to cancel all gambling partnerships, say no to any new offers, and back The Big Step campaign.
    17 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Michael Wilson