Betting is the Ying to football’s Yang, they work in harmony and go hand in hand, or at least that’s what the betting companies think. The relationship between bettors and football has stemmed decades and has always been an integral part of the sport. Now with the progression of online betting and football seemingly always being on, it is a booming time to be a betting company. 

The European Championships is the current biggest thing in football and with bookmakers like Boylesports you can latest euro odds easily from your phone and with the way things are going, I would avoid betting on England! Although we haven’t been fun to watch our nation seems to be at an all-time low for confidence, the Euros being around is still a big moment and betting has helped that. 

The culture of betting in football has been growing for years and years and there’s no sign of this stopping. Even with the upcoming ban of betting sponsorships being on football kits, it feels like this is mainly being done for PR reasons and less for the effects of betting as a whole. 

The Ban

The ban on football betting sponsors comes into effect in the 2025/26 season and it feels like a welcome change to football. Even as a man who enjoys betting, I think having a sponsor on a top worn by children’s idols isn’t the best look, I also think that a lot of the football sponsors are quite unappealing to look at. 

But this ban doesn’t just remove the use of betting sponsorships as a whole. If a team has a betting sponsorship just surrounding their club and they are affiliates, similar to Tottenham and Manchester City, then this is fine. But, clubs like Crystal Palace whose main sponsor is a betting agency will have to find a new sponsor. 

Betting Awareness

Giving credit where it is due, I think that football is a sport that knows the effects of gambling and gives it enough attention while also giving awareness of its issues. When I speak about betting I speak from a privileged point of view because I am not addicted and I merely do leisurely. I understand that some people can’t bet that way and those people should be protected and football does do that. 

Paul Merson

Say what you want about Paul Merson as a pundit or as a player, his openness about his addiction is inspiring. He knows what he went through, he can talk about it and realise that he was wrong and this is something that needs to be heard by a lot of people, young or old, who could be affected by this. Whenever addiction is mentioned, Merson should be the spokesperson for this and I think his transparency would help a lot of people.

Is Betting Good Or Bad For Football?

This is a complex question and I think every person will give you a different view and a different opinion. Personally, I think that it is very neutral, I think the goods of betting are needed for the sport and massively improves people’s viewing experiences and can make a game that is rather boring into a fun time and this is something that a lot of sports don’t have the benefit of.

In saying that, the negatives are also there, as we said with addiction, it can’t be overstated how important the protection of players is. With sports betting growing and gambling being one of the most popular pastimes in the world, there are no signs of it slowing down and them not being together. In my opinion, betting is good for the sport and it is fun if treated right and shielded from the people who need it, the small negative reception that betting gets will change.