NHS England boss targets over shirt sponsorship deals with gambling firms
FOOTBALL clubs have been targeted by the boss of NHS England over shirt sponsorship deals with gambling firms.
Amanda Pritchard singled out clubs that have signed lucrative agreements this week amid a spike in betting-related problems.
A Premier League ban on front-of-shirt betting sponsors was announced in April but will not be in force until the start of the 2026/27 season.
Ms Pritchard told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that seeing the logos every day tells young fans that gambling is “OK”.
She added that gambling and football bosses should “really think seriously about their responsibilities”.
Aston Villa, Burnley and Fulham all signed deals in the past week.
Everton have a two-year deal with casino and sports betting platform Stake.com.
Meanwhile the NHS is opening seven new specialist clinics.
A record 1,389 patients have been referred for gambling issues in the past year.
The Betting and Gaming Council said: “The BGC’s largest members pledged an additional £100million of funding between 2019 and 2023 for research, education and treatment, administered by independent charity GambleAware.”