I feel really guilty now about watching the racing in the old social club while munching on a pork pie
I don't bet in fact I'm not sure how to place a bet in a bookies or online for that matter. I do know people whose life had been shattered by addiction to gambling so on balance well done Forest Green. Sorry I buy lottery tickets so what I said isn't quite true.
There’s quite a few with very strong opinions on the gambling industry - I find that quite interesting. Alcoholism causes death, smoking obviously does. Obesity massively (pun intended) increases the chances of several cancers. So as well as no sponsorship from tobacco or alcohol companies, that has been banned, no sponsors from fast food or soft drinks companies either please... Who does that leave? Maybe a local company that has strong morals, maybe the Investment Room, who definitely don’t and have never hoovered up affordable housing stock and made it even harder for the the young working class to get on the housing ladder in these parts... Who else? An Arab state with questionable human rights records maybe, or a Far Eastern based manufacturer with questionable working practices and non-existent worker rights? Which sponsors are and aren’t acceptable? The point is thus - what else are we going to ban advertising on? In my eyes, whilst there is no law to prevent any of these businesses trading there should be no statute to stop them advertising. The government won’t allow tobacco ads at all or alcohol sponsorship of certain things but are quite happy to tax the living hell out of those who purchase them. In the world of huge social media presence, the inclusion of a betting firm on the front of football shirts has a negligible effect on encouraging more gambling. The Barnsley FC board should sell the shirt sponsorship to whichever company offers the most money for the privilege. It’s a cold hard business, and we sink or swim. Should we have Paddy Power, bet365 or anyone else similar on the shirt, I wouldn’t be disappointed. I’d be more disappointed if we took a moral stance and got less money into the club in all honesty. Each to their own though. And I am married to an assistant manager of a bookies...
If 'd rather we didn't promote gambling. It wouldn't make me gamble more but it could make it seem more appealing to youngsters. The ban on tobacco advertising seems to have worked.
Good on Forest Green. At the moment I can't criticise clubs getting the best deals & a lot is now betting, as other vices have already been banned. Betting is so linked to sport, so it is a lot of money. I think promoting helplines for those in trouble isn't a bad option. Betting is the only vice I don't have, as I studied statistics in my degree. I'd hope in the long run betting adverts at least would be banned on Sky & iPlayer, etc, as they are a more impulsive drag than kit or other sponsorship, that is there all the time. Tough call. Anyone who wants a complete ban I do get it. I'm not saying I'm right, just how I see it.
I agree with the stance by Forest Green Rovers, take Gambling out to a side area, where there is support for the harden gambler. I do not mind an occasional bet, but doing it day in, day out will probably only lead to trouble downstream.
I don't disagree and I'm not labouring under the illusion it will get tackled as an issue. I just really dislike the industry. The mate I mentioned going into a betting shop with got cancer a while back, he wasn't really with it mentally for a while and lost over £11,000 in six months at the bookies. Eleven grand!! I'm quite sure his local bookies would have been aware he was overspending. Even if they didn't do they care? Do they f**k. There's supposed to be rules about stopping people descending into debt but I really don't think anything other than lip service is paid to them. The industry is a leech. It has no redeeming features whatsoever in my eyes.
To me it's simple, we all make our own choices & advertising covers every field of our lives but it is down to the individual to make their life choices, they stopped advertising on alcoholic products but I still enjoy a tipple, they stopped tobacco advertising but I chose to keep smoking until my dads passing convinced me stop & gambling advertising has never influenced me although I did stop buying lottery tickets after they hiked the price , my point is that you cannot ban everything & anything when the individual controls both choice & will power
It's not up to a Football club to try and force their beliefs on others. If a club wants to be sponsored by a betting company then they should be allowed.
There was a rumour floating around farcebook the other week that we're falling into bed with bet365 next season...
It’s an interesting one. Have Forest Green banned betting sponsorship in their own club? If they did how would they apply this given Skybet sponsor the EFL.
I've never placed a bet, nor bought a lottery ticket in my life, Dave, old mate. I have neither the knowledge, nor the inclination to do so.
You have strong feelings about the betting industry and I’ve no desire to alter that Churton. It sounds like your friend had a bad experience. But you are wrong about the industry not doing anything. I have been very surprised at the lengths the company my mrs works for (paddy power, it’s not a secret) go to - to prevent people overspending, to help those who need help, even imposing welfare bans as well as heavily policing self excluded people. They also invest hundreds of thousands into assistance schemes. I will also add that they paid each and every one of their staff in full for every moment they were closed in each lockdown, but unlike most places, actually paid them themselves. They did not take a penny in furlough payments, either from the U.K. or Irish governments. One of their competitors (William hill) made a big song and dance about paying their staff 100% - to public acclaim - when in fact they were paying 20% and the rest coming from the taxpayer. PP didn’t publicly announce that they were paying their staff or that they weren’t taking furlough. They just did it. As an employer they are amongst the best I’ve seen in terms of employee engagement, bonuses and pension schemes as well. They aren’t massive wage payers - none are - but they are on the whole very good. All industries will have good and bad, but I would argue that there is a relatively good egg in the betting industry. They are shameless when it comes to self promotion though - which is at least very transparent.
Nothing natural about processed, packaged, supermarket body parts. Though I have no objection to anyone hunting, skinning & preparing their own dinner. Armed only with a knife.. It might also satisfy an individual’s desire to gamble? Think about it..