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West Ham United must terminate Betway deal after latest revelation
Betway have been fined £400,000 by the Gambling Commission – and that should lead West Ham to consider terminating their partnership.
BBC Sport journalist Alistair Magowan reported (via Twitter, 21 September) that the Hammers’ sponsor was fined for placing marketing on the Children’s section of the club’s website.
It’s a tricky situation for West Ham, but considering the impact gambling can have on lives and the fact that Betway advertised to younger people, the club should really take a stand and remove their link with the betting company.
Modern football is completely rife with huge amounts of gambling advertisements and companies at a time when there are a number of campaigns to prevent excessive amounts of promotions in football, such as The Big Step.
The sad reality is that the Hammers are unlikely to take any action in response to this news due to the financial commitments they have with Betway and what that means for the club going forward.
It would’ve been refreshing if they had taken a step that was different from other clubs and this news could have been used as a watershed moment in tackling gambling advertisements in football.
It has yet to be revealed how the fine will impact West Ham financially, but the club must also take some of the blame for allowing marketing to be shown on a particular section of their website.
This should be a big moment in tackling gambling. After this news, it will be interesting to see if the Hammers continue to work with Betway beyond the end of this season.