TOWN CHIEF WON’T MISS BET PARTNER
THE gambling industry is a wrecking ball that should be kicked out of football, according to financial expert Kevin White.
That’s why White, vice-chairman of Southern League Basingstoke Town, breathed a sigh of relief when Bet Victor suddenly ended their sponsorship of the Southern, Isthmian and Northern Premier leagues.
White claims the evolution of technology has made gambling much more accessible to football supporters – and will continue to do so.
He pointed out that if a fan wanted to bet on a game 10-15 years ago, he had to go to the bookies, fill in a betting slip and hand over his hard-earned cash. Now they can do it online or on an app.
White told The NLP: “Football is our national sport so why we should fuel it with betting money is beyond me.
“One of the reasons I am against it is the obvious harm that being addicted to gambling brings to players and supporters.
“The other is that being a financial adviser, who looks after footballers’ money, I have seen the impact of betting on that side of things as well.
“Footballers at a high level have a lot of time on their hands but my job is to try and make them money properly.
“Should betting be in the game? To my mind, it is not a good attraction for young supporters or Academy players.”
As reported in The NLP two weeks ago, betting giants BetVictor exercised a break clause midway through the sponsorship agreement, a deal worth in excess of £100,000 a year.
White took issue with the Southern League – Basingstoke finished second bottom of Division One South – for accepting the sponsorship without consulting the clubs.
“It was a very strange decision by the league,” said White. “We just got told that BetVictor were sponsoring the league and here is a link to their website. That was it.
“There should have been a more stringent process and more interaction. They should have asked the clubs how they felt about this kind of sponsorship.
“We have a responsibility to our players and supporters but this was foisted on us and as a community club we were not comfortable with this marriage.”