Crystal Palace inks responsible gambling deal with GambleAware

The UK gambling industry’s problem gambling charitable organization has struck its first deal with an English Premier League football team to warn fans of the potential downsides of gambling.

On Friday, the industry-funded GambleAware charity announced a deal with London’s Crystal Palace FC to cooperate on the production of “advertisements and promotion materials to raise awareness of the risks of gambling.”

The problem gambling messages will appear both on the perimeter of the Selhurst Park pitch and on screens throughout the stadium, ensuring their visibility for both in-stadium spectators and viewers watching at home on television. The first messages will appear during this Saturday’s match against Brighton & Hove Albion and continue for the final two matches of the current EPL season.

Crystal Palace has a shirt sponsorship with UK-licensed online betting operator ManBetX, one of nine EPL clubs that has shirt deals with gambling operators. Crystal Palace is the first EPL squad to sign on for the GambleAware initiative and the charity hopes other teams will join the campaign, which aims to boost awareness of the advice and support available via the BeGambleAware.org site.