Sporting Chance encourages discussions about reforming the relationship between football (and sport more widely) and gambling - a subject that was highlighted by Channel 4's 'Football's Gambling Addiction' documentary on Monday evening, which we contributed to.
Sporting Chance launched our GATE Programme last year in order to raise awareness, enhance treatment services and provide more specialist education on this issue to professional sportspeople and organisations.
The launch of GATE included an Open Letter in which we raised several concerns and offered some potential solutions to sports, encouraging them to begin the process of weaning themselves off their apparent dependency on the gambling industry.
We will continue to raise concerns and encourage discussions with sporting organisations about possible preventative measures to address the rise we have seen in gambling-related referrals in the recent past.
We will continue to provide an independent, safe and confidential space for professional sportspeople who want to discuss or seek help for gambling-related problems or any other mental health or emotional wellbeing concern.
Our work is independent and we do not receive or accept funding from the gambling industry or any industry which sells products that significantly contribute to mental health problems evident in large numbers of our client population.
