Many football fans anxious about World Cup betting losses

More than a quarter of football fans say they feel anxious about how much they might lose while betting during the World Cup, according to a survey.

Six in 10 said they agreed there are too many gambling adverts during international tournaments, the research for charity Gambleaware suggested.

The organisation said 43% of football fans plan to bet during this year’s World Cup, and among those 39% admitted that financial pressures might drive them to gamble more than intended.

Gambleaware has launched a new campaign to help fans who gamble to avoid what they called “Bet Regret” in the coming weeks as betting promotions on social media and TV ramp up.

The campaign, backed by the Football Supporters Association (FSA) and former players including Peter Shilton, Shaun Wright-phillips and Lee Hendrie, encourages people who bet to manage their behaviour by deleting apps and setting a spending limit.

Shilton, who struggled with gambling addiction for 45 years, delivers a team talk as part of a new film for the campaign.

He said his addiction took a “massive toll” financially and on his mental health, and credited his wife for her support throughout the ordeal.

More than half of people (56%) said it is easy to lose more money than expected, the survey from Opinium of 2,000 fans showed.

The results suggested that 28% of supporters said they felt anxious about how much they might lose in bets during the tournament, which begins in Qatar on Sunday.

Gambling Minister Paul Scully welcomed the awareness-raising campaign.

GAME ON: Women in front of a World Cup ad in Qatar.