“I felt Like I was trapped...”

By Theo Chapman

Theo Chapman exposes the dangerous relationship between football and gambling, shedding light on the negative influence of betting sponsorship in sports. Byron’s harrowing journey serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the pervasive impact of gambling on vulnerable individuals within football culture.

The time is 2.37am. There’s an eerie silence on the streets outside. In a few hours the road will be bustling with people making their morning commutes, but for now, most people are fast asleep. Yet, if you walked down the Highstreet at this specific moment, you might be able to see a dull glow omitting from one particular window. 

There, slumped on the sofa with his laptop in hand, is 21-year-old Byron Slater, depositing more money than he can afford onto yet another online gambling site.  

Byron had never much been into gambling, but he had always been into football. He had been mad about Leeds United as far back as his memory goes, and believes that had he not been into football, he’d never have found himself in such a mental plunge. 

“I had been watching football for years, and I think at the start I just wanted to prove to myself that my football knowledge was better than my mates,” he says. 

He was particularly aware of the allure of winning money, which he describes as “the bright lights of pleasure,” but was blindsided by how easy it was for him to become disconnected from reality, and, before he realised it, he had deposited £5,000 in one week – and lost over half of it. 

“Betting felt like a game, and before I knew it, I was losing money I had spent so long earning,” he says. 

Following a string of victories, Byron’s confidence soared, leading him to wager large sums of money on what he believed to be surefire outcomes - only for the unpredictable nature of football to cost him. Then, in a desperate bid to recoup his money, he would lump larger amounts of money on increasingly improbable outcomes – leaving him with substantial losses. 

Without realising, Byron had been sucked in.

As if real life football was unpredictable enough, Byron began to try his hand at virtual football - after all, virtual football was running on these betting sites every second of every day. He wouldn’t have to wait for the next round of fixtures to satisfy his cravings, he thought. 

“It was just so easy for me to have access to,” he says. 

Before he knew it, he was spending most of his nights fixated on his laptop screen, hoping that computer generated games of football could win back the thousands he had already lost. 

Photograph: Junior Teixeira

Drawing a straight line between football and a gambling addiction is a lot easier than you’d think. With over 40% of Premier League shirt sponsors now betting companies, the connection is undeniable - however, despite its visibility, many football fans and those particularly vulnerable, appear oblivious it. 

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that these commercial partnerships will ever completely cease to exist – after all, money talks. When talking to the BBC, Mark Palios, Executive Chairman of Tranmere Rovers FC, said that clubs “do not need” gambling sponsorship and could “find an alternative” before saying football has been “part of the problem” but could also be “part of the solution.” 

It appears that even the major clubs have listened, too - striking a landmark agreement in April 2023 committing to phase out all gambling sponsorships displayed on the front of match shirts by the end of the 2025/26 season. 

Although, one must question whether the more influential football figures have truly acknowledged their role in creating addiction? 

Byron was unable to escape gambling wherever he went, its influence following him relentlessly - making the task of breaking free from his addiction even more challenging: “Everywhere I went I was having these betting sites shoved in my face. I felt like I was trapped and that everyone wanted me to keep gambling, so I did.” 

And he’s right, too. On the opening weekend of this Premier League season, fans were bombarded with nearly 7,000 gambling messages, including commercial breaks, shirt sponsorships, and advertising boards – according to a study by the Gambling Harms Research, that warns of “overwhelming and inescapable” use of betting imagery in the game. 

A spokesperson for Gamstop, a site that offers self-exclusion from all UK gambilng outlets, said: “The core demographic of our sevice is young men aged 18-35, and we do often get peaks in registrations around key sporting events such as the Euros.”

Thankfully, Byron did manage to escape his addiction – but it was by no means easy. The only way he could avoid exposure to the betting scene was to completely cut off from it for a while. This meant deleting his social media, registering with Gamstop and most tragically, refraining from watching his beloved Leeds United. 

“Registering with Gamstop was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Even when I wanted to relapse, I physically couldn’t,” he says. 

It’s disheartening that people in such dark circumstances feel compelled to sacrifice the sport they love - which often serves as a beacon of joy amid the stresses of people’s lives. Yet, it keeps happening. The failure to acknowledge responsibility to the fans, is trumped by something,which in the leaders of the sport’s minds, is more important - money. 

Byron now finds himself fast asleep by midnight each night, a stark difference from his former late-night gambling escapades. Every morning he awakens, refreshed, ready to join the symphony of honking horns and procession of cars on his daily commute to work. Rather than squandering his earnings on games of chance, he now channels his energy into productive endeavours - determined to make a better life for himself.

If you need support quitting gambling, visit gamstop.co.uk - or contact The National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.