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Labour Party pledges to 'take gambling logos off football shirts'

Scott Heppell / Reuters

Gambling is an industry that's deeply intertwined with football, but the Labour Party wants to separate the two.

Tom Watson, the deputy leader of the Labour Party and Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pledged to tackle the "hidden epidemic of gambling addiction" on Wednesday, pointing out the way that shirt sponsorship puts brands in front of children.

By the count of the Guardian's Rob Davies, nine clubs in the Premier League - including Newcastle United, West Ham United, and Everton - have deals with gambling companies that involve shirt sponsorship. Those deals are reportedly valued at a combined £47.3 million, and another 16 clubs in the Championship and League One have similar deals.

"Football has to play its part in tackling Britain's hidden epidemic of gambling," Watson said. "Shirt sponsorship sends out a message that football clubs don't take problem gambling among their own fans seriously enough. It puts gambling brands in front of fans of all ages, not just at matches but on broadcasts and highlights packages on both commercial television and the BBC."

Watson compared gambling companies to tobacco companies, which, by virtue of laws passed in 2005, were stopped from sponsoring sport.

"Just as tobacco companies were banned from sponsoring sporting events and putting their logos on branded goods because of the harm smoking can cause, it's right that we recognise the harm problem gambling does and take gambling logos off football shirts," he declared.

In June, the Football Association announced that it had ended its commercial partnership with Ladbrokes following a three-month review. The deal was worth a reported £4 million per year, and the decision came after Joey Barton, who is serving a suspension for betting, accused the FA of hypocrisy.

"With new evidence showing gambling addiction rising, at huge cost to individuals and their families, to society and to the taxpayer, the clubs should follow the FA's lead," Watson stated.

The Institute for Public Policy Research says "hidden addiction" is costing the U.K.'s government between £260 million and £1.2 billion per year, "blighting the lives of families and communities and putting a strain on public finances."

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