A group of clubs from the English Football League (EFL) along with non-league clubs has signed a letter to the UK Government to end all advertising within the football industry.
Negative Impact on Fans
EFL clubs including Tranmere, Luton, and Bolton who signed the letter urged the government whilst reviewing the current Gambling Act to ban advertising within the sport in a bid to stop harmful gambling addictions, and the negative impact of gambling could have on its fans. However, a few included in the EFL have voiced concerns that a blanket ban on advertising could see the collapse of some clubs that rely on gambling sponsorship. 
Clubs such as Bolton and Tranmere who do not rely on sponsorship signed the letter coordinated by Gambling With Lives, a campaign group aimed at supporting family and friends who have lost loved ones due to suicide as a direct result of gambling.
Rely on Sponsorship
Although the EFL’s main sponsor is Skybet, many clubs rely on shirt sponsorship from the likes of 32Red and Boyle Sports. Banning shirt sponsorship would be a step in the right direction and a ‘significant acceptance of the harm caused’, EFL members would like to see a blanket ban across the sector including shirt sponsorship, stadiums, and competition sponsorship so that the younger generation can enjoy a match without being witness to gambling-related advertising. An EFL spokesperson said, “As owners, directors, and executives responsible for our clubs, we have witnessed the harmful growth of gambling sponsorship and advertising in football, including the negative impact on our fans. “A ban on gambling logos on shirts would be a significant acceptance of the harm caused, but we would encourage you to include all gambling advertisements in stadiums and competition sponsorship so every young fan can go to any football match – home and away – free of inducements to gamble.”