A local Dulwich football team have installed new signs at their grounds last week publicising their involvement with a campaign to remove gambling advertisements from football.
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club (DHFC) displayed the signs at their stadium, Champion Hill, showing support for The Big Step, a charity run by those who have suffered harm as a result of gambling with the aim to end gambling advertising and sponsorship in football.
Founder of The Big Step, James Grimes, said: “We are thrilled to have the support of a progressive and community-driven club like Dulwich Hamlet. This is further acceptance of the harm caused by gambling ads in football.”
He continued: “But we must go further, and this is why this support from DHFC is pivotal and timely.”
Tom Fleming from the charity, Gambling with Lives, said: “Our campaign is not about saying that people can’t or shouldn’t gamble, but more aimed at the saturation of gambling advertising in football specifically, which often acts as the hook that draws young, first-time gamblers in.
“What this normalising process does is to make young fans think that gambling is completely safe, risk-free and normal, as they are completely surrounded by gambling brands and messages. We don’t advertise tobacco anymore…we want gambling to be treated in the same way as tobacco.”
DHFC’s support for The Big Step’s campaign was first announced by the charity on October 4, 2021. Their support comes at a pivotal time with the 2005 Gambling Act being under current government review.
Fleming said: “[The Act] liberalised the gambling landscape in the UK, and allowed gambling operators to operate with significantly fewer restrictions before. Thankfully, that act is now under review, which gives the government a real chance to make legislative changes that will save lives – the results of the review are due out early next year, so we will have to see.
“Obviously we are competing with a very powerful industry that makes a lot of money. However, that profit comes at a cost and the industry is harming a lot of people. Sixty percent of [profit] comes from just 5 percent of gamblers, so addiction really is integral to their business model”, he explained.
According to The Gambling Commission, the UK’s gambling market generated a profit of £14.2 billion in 2020, making it one of the most profitable in the world.
The football club’s activism, however, has landed them in hot water with the Vanarama National League in which they compete, after they replaced gambling advertisement banners with banners promoting The Big Step, a source revealed. The source also stated that the club’s matches can attract up to “3000 spectators”, making the reach of their new message significant.
Support for The Big Step is not the first of its kind in the club’s history of activism. Champion Hill Stadium also displays signs of support for Bite Back, a charity aiming to eliminate junk food adverts from sport, as well as signs showing support for Unison and the promotion of women’s football.
Rob Hyneman, Community Lead at Dulwich Hamlet FC, has said: “DHFC has already had a strong anti-gambling stance and this partnership fits perfectly with the club’s ethos.”
Support for the campaign continues to grow with several MPs in support of the charity as well as football clubs, including Billericay Town, Lewes, Forest Green Rovers and Edinburgh City. Last week also saw Chippenham Town FC announce their support for the cause.
