Petition to Derby to remove our relationship to gambling companies

[whestonram]

I hope its OK to post this here.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/derby-county-fc-kick-gambling-ads-out-of-football?source=rawlink&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=rawlink&share=13134897-4037-4501-a9af-3260950e13ba

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.

 

It seems David Clowes is a good guy - I'm sure he'll listen. Please support this.

 

Thanks

 

[RadioactiveWaste]

I'm happy to sign it.

I've never been a gambler so it's never bothered me, but when you hear stories like this it's hard to just dismiss it as a harmless thrill, and I'm sure there are many similar stories. 409 deaths a year is a terrible waste of life.

I would temper expectations, it's hard to turn down money for any club (and I don't think it's been choosing gambling sponsorship over comparable offers from other sources) but I hope at least we're away from "super special star player deals with extra gambling"

[IslandExile]

Signed.

Well done and good luck with the campaign.

[whestonram]

8 minutes ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

I'm happy to sign it.

I've never been a gambler so it's never bothered me, but when you hear stories like this it's hard to just dismiss it as a harmless thrill, and I'm sure there are many similar stories. 409 deaths a year is a terrible waste of life.

I would temper expectations, it's hard to turn down money for any club (and I don't think it's been choosing gambling sponsorship over comparable offers from other sources) but I hope at least we're away from "super special star player deals with extra gambling"

I know. But some clubs are already doing it (Forest Green, for example). I think its like when tobacco advertising was banned from F1 - the industry claimed it would be the death of F1, but it still goes on.  I hope that David Clowes will think that the extra cash from gambling is not worth the moral damage to the club or the risk it puts young people in by encouraging them to gamble.

 

Thanks for your support.

[BucksRam]

Sorry to hear that @whestonram, very sad.  I've signed; good luck.  That said, as @RadioactiveWastesays, money often wins and if it's a lucrative deal that helps to keep the books in the black, I suspect Derby would accept. 

I'm not a gambler myself but know many who are.  On one occasion, a bloke I know had us down to win as part of an acca. We drew, which lost him over £600.  He just shrugged and said he'd win next time.  It's that mentality that can lead to the path your family have sadly experienced. 

[RIMBAUD]

24 minutes ago, IslandExile said:

Signed.

Well done and good luck with the campaign.

Same

[RadioactiveWaste]

The tobacco sponsorship is an interesting one, despite its obvious harm it didn't go until it was legislated against and the tobacco companies are still trying to work around it (That big mission winnow on Ferrari F1 cars is... actually paid for by Philip Morris international) - but our current politics is unlikely to look at banning gambling sponsorship as any kind of priority.

I would like to see us sponsored by something uncontroversial (Bombardier, Toyota, The Derbyshire etc) in preference to gambling.

[SirBrian]

Always rode horses and had a 25 year relationship with a stable near Lambourn and in the early 90s the trainer had 80 plus horses in training, this gambling sponsership in football is a total discrace, for the betting companies are grooming the children from a young age with their logos on the shirts, the children wear, and the children grow up believing betting is a good and accepable practice.

Governments and MPs hoof and puff, then end up doing nothing, for end of the day 75% plus freebies to them come from the bookmakers ie wembley tickets, wimbledon etc.

Bookmakers adverts imply that they are your best friend untill you start to win on a regular basis then they close your account almost ie wish to place a £20 bet comes back will only accept 10 pence, this practice shows that they have not closed your account to the sports minister and government who believe everthing is good.

I was made reduntant at the age of 58, and an ex jockey would text me horses that he expected to run well, from betting £25 per bet in 7 years built the bets up to £100/£200 per bet and the last 2 years was making £34,000 per year , then the bookmakers closed me down as above.

Bookmakers adverts should be MUGS and LOSERS only apply, ask Coates family how much they pay themselves and this is only one bookmaking family.

Whestonram so sorry to hear about young Jack and wish you every success in your battle against the bookmakers sponsorships, it will be hard for money and freebies talk, if i can be of any help with my advice please go through David to get my private details.

[kevinhectoring]

49 minutes ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

I'm happy to sign it.

I've never been a gambler so it's never bothered me, but when you hear stories like this it's hard to just dismiss it as a harmless thrill, and I'm sure there are many similar stories. 409 deaths a year is a terrible waste of life.

I would temper expectations, it's hard to turn down money for any club (and I don't think it's been choosing gambling sponsorship over comparable offers from other sources) but I hope at least we're away from "super special star player deals with extra gambling"

Fenway Group won’t let Liverpool accept any sponsorship from the gaming companies. Costs them 10s of MMs a year. The owner agrees with @whestonramand thinks it’s immoral. 

DC has reset the culture of our club. Hope it stretches to doing the same 

[Dethorn]

9 minutes ago, kevinhectoring said:

Fenway Group won’t let Liverpool accept any sponsorship from the gaming companies. Costs them 10s of MMs a year. The owner agrees with @whestonramand thinks it’s immoral. 

DC has reset the culture of our club. Hope it stretches to doing the same 

???

[Day]

3 minutes ago, kevinhectoring said:

Fenway Group won’t let Liverpool accept any sponsorship from the gaming companies. Costs them 10s of MMs a year. The owner agrees with @whestonramand thinks it’s immoral. 

DC has reset the culture of our club. Hope it stretches to doing the same 

It's easy for a club to turn down gambling sponsorships when they are a global brand, huge in Asia, receive large sums of money playing in the Premier League and Champions League.

They received £162m last season from the Premier League alone, up £14m from the season before.

That money could have bought this club three times over in the summer.

Let's not forget, even if we were to ban gambling sponsors on the front of our shirts, they will still have the Skybet patches on the sleeves and all over the league branding around the ground and on the pitch.

Sorry for your loss @whestonram, really don't want to be seen as being insensitive here, just looking at the reality of the situation where it's difficult for clubs to turn their back on the best offers compared to clubs such as Liverpool which was mentioned above.

Ideally football would be in a better state where clubs could choose sponsors that fit the club rather than who pays the most.

 

[i-Ram]

I am sorry, but I can’t agree. Whilst I would rather our sponsorship is anything but a betting company, the Club (and David Clowes) should not be being put under any pressure at this stage to limit where it can access revenue from. The club needs to be rebuilt, and have stability. In seasons to come perhaps we can be more selective, let’s hope so.

I am sorry to read of the OP’s loss which is tragic. 

[kevinhectoring]

2 minutes ago, David said:

Let's not forget, even if we were to ban gambling sponsors on the front of our shirts, they will still have the Skybet patches on the sleeves and all over the league branding around the ground and on the pitch.

Ultimately there should be a ban on all gaming company advertising, so the sky bet logos should be removed. Plenty of people who get hooked aren’t feeding their kids and as the op points out even worse things happen

[Day]

Just now, kevinhectoring said:

Ultimately there should be a ban on all gaming company advertising, so the sky bet logos should be removed. Plenty of people who get hooked aren’t feeding their kids and as the op points out even worse things happen

The government recently chose not to implement a ban following pressure from Premier League clubs, so we're unlikely to see any ban come in the near future.

It's a difficult one, morally you wish they wouldn't, yet it's difficult to turn down money.

It's not just gambling either, alcohol, pay day loans, credit cards, junk food, all can destroy lives and ideally wouldn't be plastered around on TV, radio, newspapers, sports grounds etc.

[ramit]

i find betting companies sponsoring football teams an appalling reality. 

If we state our opposition to betting company sponsorship, it would be hypocritical of us to allow for exceptions because of financial needs.

[TigerTedd]

Just playing devils advocate here, but for many people gambling is part of the match day experience. I don’t gamble often at all, but I remember going with a friend to the Igor, and being given a marathon bet betting form.

Obviously this encourages people to gamble who might not have otherwise, but as part of my big day out, I didn’t mind it. 

this is like saying we should stop selling pints at half time because my relative died of alcohol poisoning and many people die from alcohol related illnesses each year. 

many people can’t handle it, and that’s sad, but many more people can. Alcohol and gambling. If we ban gambling, I think we should be banning alcohol too, and that’s never going to happen. 

[Ambitious]

I like to gamble - although often I bet against the team I want to win (always bet against Derby) in order to satisfy some 'safety bet' balance in my own head. I do understand the danger, of course, because people do get sucked in and once you start betting with someone else's money then you've already lost. 

I was in utter disbelief when I was told it was possible to use a credit card to bet, obviously that never should've been the case (common sense) and I don't believe it's possible now. On the whole, I don't think betting is a bad thing, it's just like anything that can become an addiction - some people will ultimately, and terribly, go too far. 

I honestly feel the most immoral form of gambling in sports is actually through video games, targeted at children. Fifa Ulitmate Team is an utter joke for that. 

[RoyMac5]

12 minutes ago, TigerTedd said:

...

many people can’t handle it, and that’s sad, but many more people can. Alcohol and gambling. If we ban gambling, I think we should be banning alcohol too, and that’s never going to happen. 

It's not about banning gambling or alcohol. It's about making it less socially acceptable. 

I hate the link between gambling and making sports more exciting.

 

[Carl Sagan]

It's terribly sad to hear when people have problems, but for me it's wrong to use that to stop the vast majority who don't. And it is the vast majority. Derby are in the financial mire, have just come out of administration and need access to every penny we can get to make it back onto an even keel. The petitioning and banning culture isn't for me and people at the club should not be made to feel bad for doing deals with bookmakers. Every sympathy for the loss of the original poster, but no to the campaign.

[therealhantsram]

9 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

It's not about banning gambling or alcohol. It's about making it less socially acceptable. 

I hate the link between gambling and making sports more exciting.

 

Yep this exactly. Financial education of teens is important and overlooked.