Alarming surge in problem gambling among professional sportsmen

Sporting Chance founder and former England soccer star Tony Adams claimed Monday that his charity, which aids professional footballers overcome various addictions, has seen a surge of problem gambling issues , and now treats more players with betting problems than those troubled by alcohol or drugs.

Speaking to The Telegraph newspaper, Adams said that 60 percent of cases handled by Sporting Chance were now gambling-related, and he opined that easy access to online gambling websites and aggressive marketing is at the root of the problem.

Adams revealed that Sporting Chance has treated more players addicted to betting in the last 12 months than during any corresponding period since it was set up in 2000.

In an attempt to address the issue, Adamas says he met with the Responsible Gambling Trust recently to discuss the aggressive marketing techniques used by some of the gambling houses.

Wealthy footballers were “actively pursued” by some bookies, Adams claimed, often being offered “free bets that run to thousands of pounds”, while offering a commission to those who introduce players to a particular firm.

He was backed by Sporting Chance chief executive Colin Bland, who said: “It is ridiculous to imagine in any other addictive substance for the government or any advertising control body to allow the stream of advertising to gamble that I am bombarded with in my living room while watching a game.

“Techniques such as giving me my first bet free or matching my stake are common. If you amplify these tempting offers to a scale that might attract a Premier League football player, you are then looking at large sums of money, free bets that run in to sums of thousands of pounds.

“I have also been told that individuals who introduce a player to a gambling house may be financially rewarded – once again, common practice among the dealers of less palatable substances who will ‘sort you out’ if you can get them a new punter.”

The Professional Footballer’s Association works with Sporting Chance in developing treatment and preventative programs targeted on football academies and first-team squads.

Bland said that he would welcome the opportunity to interact directly with gambling companies, the government or marketing agencies.

“We are not anti-gambling and can quite obviously see the investment that some gambling companies have made in sport for the good. However, I also harbour a view that aggressive targeting and marketing is compounding a growth in gambling problems not only in sport but in wider society.

“It is not enough to put at the bottom of an advert ‘X encourages responsible gambling’. I believe that some responsibility lies with the seller.”

Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the trade body Remote Gaming Association, told The Telegraph that he had no information that footballers had been “particularly targeted” by firms.

He insisted all customers were offered bonuses and incentives in proportion to the amount they bet, although he did acknowledge it was possible “VIP programmes to handle high rollers” were also in place, similar to those used by [land] casinos.

Hawkswood said the RGA already works closely with the Professional Players Federation, the umbrella group for unions across several sports, on education programmes to tackle problem gambling.

Referencing the Sporting Chance complaint, Hawkswood said: “If there’s any concern from the charity that there’s a link between this and problem gambling then that’s something that we’d certainly want to know more about.”

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