Gregory Campbell describes gambling sponsorship of English Premier League clubs as ‘virtual epidemic’

The DUP MP, who is a supporter of the Scottish football club Glasgow Rangers FC as well as his home-town club Institute FC, claimed that young football supporters in Britain often now associate their sporting heroes with the betting industry.

Mr. Campbell was speaking during a recent debate at Westminster secured by the Labour MP Liz Twist who claimed ‘susceptible fans’ are ‘sometimes being preyed on when it comes to gambling’.

“Does she agree that one of the big emerging problems in the past few years has been the virtual epidemic of gambling companies sponsoring almost every single Premier League team, to the extent that young people think of and see their heroes as being part of the gambling industry, which is compounding the problems that she is rightly analysing today?” asked the East Derry MP.

Ms. Twist replied: “Of course, we could have a whole different debate on the influence of the gambling industry on football—indeed, I am sure that in future months we will have such a debate. But today that link between gambling and clubs and their players, with or without their consent, is being used to attract people to gamble money.”

Mr. Campbell’s party colleague Jim Shannon, during the same debate, pointed out that ‘some 67 per cent of people in Northern Ireland have been said to gamble, and they cover a range of ages, sports and other means’.

East Derry MP Gregory Campbell tables motion celebrating success of Glasgow football club in Scottish domestic championship