20,000 signatures reached
To: Everton Football Club
Everton FC: Kick gambling ads out of football!
Everton must cancel its sponsorship deal with gambling company, Stake, and protect its fans from gambling harms.
Why is this important?
The football club I support and love, Everton FC, has announced a multi-year partnership with an online gambling company called Stake.
The Stake.com brand will feature on the front of the men’s and women’s playing shirts, as well as appearing on screens and media backdrops at Goodison Park, Finch Farm training facility and across the Club’s digital platforms from July 1st 2022.
Children and young supporters will be bombarded with the Stake.com brand every time they watch their favourite team play.
The advertisement of such a harmful product to children is dangerous and irresponsible.
I should know the dangers.
As someone who suffered with a gambling addiction for many years. I wouldn’t wish what I went through, the devastation my family and friends experienced, and what other young people are in danger of, on anyone.
Gambling harms millions of people in the UK and takes hundreds of lives every year, leaving broken and bereaved families behind.
There are already 55,000 children addicted to gambling in this country and the impact is felt disproportionately amongst more deprived areas - such as the one our club represents.
The advertisement of such a dangerously addictive product increases the risk of this figure going higher.
These obscene levels of harm is why the UK government is strongly rumoured to end all types of gambling sponsorship imminently.
I can't wait for government to act.
In the meantime, we can urge Everton FC to recognise the dangers of entering into partnership with an online gambling company.
Our current chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale clearly recognised these dangers in 2020, when she stated In an ideal world the club would not be sponsored by a gambling company. She also stated ‘we certainly don’t want to be responsible for driving irresponsible betting’
In recognising the many dangers of this partnership, our club should drop this partnership with Stake.
Everton are the people’s club. It is a club that cares deeply for the people, and it’s supporters.
Everton, over the years, have constantly set very high standards and trends for others to follow. We have to maintain these high standards.
A partnership with Stake cannot sit comfortably alongside the fantastic work done by the club’s Everton In The Community in tackling mental health issues.
I'm calling on fellow blues, and other football fans, to urge Everton to U-turn on this gambling partnership.
Fellow Evertonians, I ask you three questions:
- Don't want to be walking billboard for an online casino?
- Do you want our young fans to be able to wear the same shirt as the players and as us adults?
- Do you think the many people harmed by gambling - like me - deserve to be able to watch the club we love without being encouraged to gamble?
If your answer is yes to all these questions, please support me by adding your name to this petition.
Thank you
Ben
The Stake.com brand will feature on the front of the men’s and women’s playing shirts, as well as appearing on screens and media backdrops at Goodison Park, Finch Farm training facility and across the Club’s digital platforms from July 1st 2022.
Children and young supporters will be bombarded with the Stake.com brand every time they watch their favourite team play.
The advertisement of such a harmful product to children is dangerous and irresponsible.
I should know the dangers.
As someone who suffered with a gambling addiction for many years. I wouldn’t wish what I went through, the devastation my family and friends experienced, and what other young people are in danger of, on anyone.
Gambling harms millions of people in the UK and takes hundreds of lives every year, leaving broken and bereaved families behind.
There are already 55,000 children addicted to gambling in this country and the impact is felt disproportionately amongst more deprived areas - such as the one our club represents.
The advertisement of such a dangerously addictive product increases the risk of this figure going higher.
These obscene levels of harm is why the UK government is strongly rumoured to end all types of gambling sponsorship imminently.
I can't wait for government to act.
In the meantime, we can urge Everton FC to recognise the dangers of entering into partnership with an online gambling company.
Our current chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale clearly recognised these dangers in 2020, when she stated In an ideal world the club would not be sponsored by a gambling company. She also stated ‘we certainly don’t want to be responsible for driving irresponsible betting’
In recognising the many dangers of this partnership, our club should drop this partnership with Stake.
Everton are the people’s club. It is a club that cares deeply for the people, and it’s supporters.
Everton, over the years, have constantly set very high standards and trends for others to follow. We have to maintain these high standards.
A partnership with Stake cannot sit comfortably alongside the fantastic work done by the club’s Everton In The Community in tackling mental health issues.
I'm calling on fellow blues, and other football fans, to urge Everton to U-turn on this gambling partnership.
Fellow Evertonians, I ask you three questions:
- Don't want to be walking billboard for an online casino?
- Do you want our young fans to be able to wear the same shirt as the players and as us adults?
- Do you think the many people harmed by gambling - like me - deserve to be able to watch the club we love without being encouraged to gamble?
If your answer is yes to all these questions, please support me by adding your name to this petition.
Thank you
Ben
