A month of almost non-stop football has begun with the start of Euro 2020. There are already concerns being made about how the tournament will affect problem gambling.
Matthew Gaskell is the head of the NHS Northern Gambling Service. He believes an increase in betting activity always happens during international football tournaments. Not just those heading towards having a gambling problem but also those being treated for their addiction. Euro 2020 makes them fear that a relapse may be on the way.
That’s because of the number of gambling adverts being shown, the ones they can just ignore. Perhaps they should just watch the matches being shown on the BBC? Gaskell says that those being treated by them are “nervous about the scale of the advertising and the marketing.” He added that all of this is completely spoiling their enjoyment of football.
Mr Gaskell has spoken out against the number of gambling advertisements. His view is that the level of them is “completely out of control.” He adds that the public are now “turning away from the saturation of gambling adverts.” Does no one have an off-button? There seems to be no shortage of people willing to talk about this subject and all the television advertisements. But they can be avoided, why not go off and make a cuppa and avoid them altogether?
His advice to those who may be developing a problem is to get help, talk to people and don’t put a bet on. “It’s so easy to escalate and get out of control,” he said.
He is not the only one worried about what may happen during Euro 2020. GamCare believe that the number of people calling their National Gambling Helpline may increase by around 5%. That’s what happened during the 2018 World Cup.
Is Mr Gaskell right in saying that the number of gambling related advertisements is “completely out of control” when action has been taken. ITV have a “whistle to whistle” ban and do not show any gambling advertisements during matches kicking off at 2pm and 5pm. Those matches kicking off at 8pm don’t contain any gambling advertisements between ad breaks before the game begins or during half-time. No mention of that by Mr Gaskell.
An ITV spokeswoman said that the “amount of gambling advertising around the live broadcast of football matches at the Euros will be significantly reduced compared to the 2018 World Cup.” The tide seems to be heading in the opposite direction then, not “completely out of control.” This looks like an argument that is going to go on and on and on.
