English Premier League club Everton slammed for ‘short-sighted’ shirt sponsorship deal with gambling firm

English Premier League club Everton slammed for ‘short-sighted’ shirt sponsorship deal with gambling firm

Article brief provided by The Telegraph
  • Ben Rumsby, The Telegraph
June 9, 2022 9:56 PM
  • Ben Rumsby, The Telegraph

Everton have signed a gambling company as their main shirt sponsor in defiance of plans to ban such deals and despite previously stating they would ideally not do so.

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A government source told Telegraph Sport the club had made “a real strategic error” by agreeing a minimum three-year partnership with Stake.com ahead of the imminent publication of a White Paper following a review of the Gambling Act.

Campaigners against front-of-shirt gambling sponsors also condemned the club for a “remarkably short-sighted” decision during a “cost-of-living crisis”, adding: “How can Everton continue to call itself ‘The People’s Club’?”

The forthcoming White Paper had been due to stop short of outlawing such deals, with ministers expecting Premier League teams to adopt a voluntary ban.