A former gambling addict and a bereaved father have said the Premier League’s decision to remove betting sponsorship from the front of matchday shirts is “a start” and an “acceptance of the harm caused” by such adverts in football.
John Myers, whose son Ryan took his own life in 2014 when he was 27 after becoming addicted to gambling, described the move as a “small victory”.
“It’s a start. It’s a small thing but it’s something… small victories can help to win big wars,” the 63-year-old civil servant from Huyton, Merseyside, told the PA news agency.
“It could have gone further but we’ll keep on going and see what we can do about the rest of the gambling adverts around football.”
