Gambling in football: How much is too much?

Abstract

Football and gambling have a long, intertwined history. This commentary seeks to explore the changing nature and implications of this relationship, how the relationship has been affected by COVID-19, and how the relationship may change in the future. No new data were collected for this commentary. The commentary identifies some recent examples, and some examples from the more distant annals of football history, of the often-controversial history between football and gambling before discussing the increased prevalence of gambling industry shirt sponsors. Research highlighting the saturation of gambling in football is then discussed, and the implications of this. Different Government and Football Association responses to gambling in football, and the potential impact of COVID-19 related legislation are examined, before recommendations from the recent Lord Gambling Industry Committee are considered. The discussion of research in gambling and football highlights some of the ethical considerations facing clubs and legislators. This commentary brings together some of the issues surrounding the close relationship between gambling and football.