Football is definitely one of the most popular and profitable sports nowadays. At the same time, English Leagues are considered a pinnacle regarding the number of fans and bettors who wager on their favourite teams.
The English Premier League became the record holder for the total number of bets in the niche of European football. During 2020-2021, the sum of bets on English League matches reached 68.5 billion euros. The popularity of English football creates serious problems regarding responsible gambling principles.
English match days are always tense and feature unpredictable twists that boost the gambling experience of fans and can sometimes be reflected in the violation of responsible gambling principles.
Aware of this, the official representatives of the English Football League try to change the situation. They work on different labels, from banning gambling ads on T-shirts to cooperating with gambling regulators.
Responsible Gambling Initiatives in English Football
English football league representatives emphasise interaction with bookmakers, as well as the promotion of responsible gambling rules through fan education. The English Football League is one of the main drivers of this process and an example for other leagues worldwide.
Collaborative Efforts Between Clubs and Bookmakers
Cooperation between football clubs and bookmakers has been observed for a long time. Among the vivid examples are Arsenal’s long-term partnership with Sportsbet.io, Brighton with Betway, Leeds United with bet365, and others.
Collaboration can include funding research on the gambling addiction problem and creating video campaigns promoting responsible gambling. Such video campaigns can be distributed both on the bookie’s website itself and on various social media.
Some CasinoGap bookmakers provide players with internal self-exclusion schemes, but not all gamblers are aware of gambling risks. So, it is also important to incorporate deposit limits, time-outs and other tools on the bookmaker’s website that are promoted through club partnerships. This is the way to build a healthy betting culture, increase loyalty, and build trust in the bookie and the club.
Fan Education Programs
Thanks to educational programs, bettors can learn about the risks of uncontrolled wagering, effective methods of prevention and useful resources where they can get consultation 24/7. One of the prime examples is the “Bet Regret” educational initiative launched by the FSA and GambleAware. This video campaign was broadcast during matches during the 2019 game season.
The program included a description of the general feeling of remorse that fans felt after an impulsive decision, as well as direct communication with bettors. As part of the campaign, the organizers even involved Luis Garcia, who reminded bettors that it is better to stop wagering after a few drinks.
Technological Innovations in Responsible Gambling
The current technological level allows bookmakers to incorporate multiple self-exclusion tools as well as promote useful resources aimed at responsible gambling approaches. Thanks to AI-powered technologies, betting sites can detect potentially abnormal behaviour and prevent further problems at the very beginning.
Self-Exclusion Tools and Features
Reputable online bookmakers always offer clients self-exclusion programs to block the account or simply set a cool-off period. As a rule, bettors have 2 main options:
- Self-exclusion via state;
- Self-exclusion via the bookie site.
GamStop program is a vivid example of the second option. UKGC powers this program and allows you to self-exclude not only from a particular bookmaker (like in the second case) but globally (from all sites that support GamStop).
There are also betting sites on NonGamStopCasinos.org for GamStop punters which provide options outside of the traditional self-exclusion framework. You may explore them to find out about their services, available odds, supported bonuses, and more. The fact that they do not support GamStop does not make them dangerous because they may have a proprietary self-exclusion program.
This is an example of the second option. In this case, you can contact the bookie’s support service and set a cool-off period for a week, month, year, and so on. You may also completely delete your account. Bookmakers incorporate features that allow customers to set deposit and playtime limits.
Data Analytics for Early Detection
Thanks to modern technologies, online betting platforms may early detect abnormal activity and prevent gambling addiction development. Here are several examples of monitor and data analytic methods that are used at online bookies.
- AI-driven data analytics. Artificial Intelligence algorithms can analyze a large amount of data from different sources simultaneously. This can be betting patterns (as well as early detection of their changes depending on losses or wins), player efficiency, time spent on certain pages, and so on.
- Location tracking. This approach allows tracking bettors’ IP/MAC Addresses and their change, which can help identify problematic behaviour (for example, the use of VPN, account duplicating, etc.).
Also, any platform has a set of cookies that help detect how bettors interact (analytical cookies) with the site and their location.
Collaboration Between Regulators and Football Authorities
Cooperation between football authorities and regulators is essential to developing responsible gambling principles and addressing problems. It is related to compliance with regulatory measures, promoting safe matchday campaigns, and more. The UK government’s initiative to create an independent football regulator was a significant step in this direction.
Regulatory Measures and Compliance
Regulatory bodies play a key role in controlling the observance of football clubs and bookmakers’ principles of the responsible game. First of all, they perform it through developing codes of behaviour and practices. For example, Betting and Gaming Council Codes of Conduct, LCCP, or RTS.
They also conduct audits to check how those standards are met. They check the availability of self-exclusion tools and setting limits, access to resources, quality of customer support service consulting, and so on. An important aspect of the work is the imposition of fines for non-compliance. One of the most recent precedents was a fine of £442,750 imposed on Tonybet for insufficient control over users who could be at risk.
Joint Initiatives for Safer Matchdays
As mentioned above, UK football clubs and authorities are an example of compliance with responsible gambling principles and a proactive position towards upcoming changes. They actively cooperate with regulatory authorities to ensure a safe environment during match days. One of the major steps taken by Premier League clubs.
They agreed to delete any mention of gambling sponsors on their T-shirts. The same is true for advertising boards on stadiums. These changes will be implemented during 2026-2027. Moreover, the Football Association of England strictly prohibits its members from participating in betting. This also applies to all staff, including players, managers and coaches.
Conclusion
Football is a prime example of the importance of following responsible gambling principles. Great anticipation of match days and excitement about your favourite team can lead to impulsive decisions on the part of some bettors. That is why, in modern realities, more attention is being paid to responsible gambling approaches, and EFL is at the forefront of these changes.
English clubs actively collaborate with state regulators, promote self-exclusive tools, limit advertising of gambling resources, and so on. Moreover, they sponsor educational programs aimed at familiarizing fans with all the risks of responsible gambling problems and their prevention.