Ladbrokes puts responsible gambling at heart of renewed SPFL sponsorship
Operator signs two-year extension to Scottish football deal as Jim Mullen reiterates LCL’s commitment to responsible gambling initiatives
Ladbrokes has pledged to put responsible gambling at the heart of its Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) sponsorship after signing a two-year extension to its current deal.
The operator has sponsored the four professional divisions in Scotland since 2015 and the renewal ensures Ladbrokes will remain as title partners for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
Ladbrokes Coral CEO Jim Mullen reiterated the firm’s commitment to responsible gambling initiatives at the announcement after football’s relationship with gambling firms has once again fallen under the media microscope this week.
“We want to make sure that [this partnership] reflects that gambling should be fun, not a problem, and that is why our continued sponsorship will enable us to promote responsible gambling and work with clubs to ensure that the integrity of the sport is upheld,” Mullen said.
“We take our role as a sponsor seriously and we take our role to help customers keep gambling fun just as seriously.”
Former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton, who is currently serving an 18-month ban from football, told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday that he thinks up to 50% of professional players are betting on the sport.
And it was Barton calling the Football Association hypocrites in 2017 that led to the FA terminating its three-year sponsorship arrangement with Ladbrokes and indeed all betting companies.
The Guardian’s David Conn also wrote an article on Tuesday saying the “relentless marketing, advertising and sponsorship by betting companies is exposing fans to the threat of a gambling addiction on an unprecedented scale and needs curtailing.”
SPFL CEO Neil Doncaster reinforced the comments made by Mullen adding: “We are also aware of our social responsibilities as a senior professional league in Scotland and will continue to promote a message of responsible gambling in conjunction with Ladbrokes.”
Sky Bet also put responsible gambling at the forefront of its five-year sponsorship of the English Football League, with all 72 clubs featuring responsible gambling messages on their jerseys.