In '17-18, gambling companies are featured "on the jerseys of nine Premier League clubs," according to Paul MacInnes of the London GUARDIAN. It is a "striking phenomenon" that has drawn criticism from anti-gambling campaigners and the Labour party, "which has called for such deals to be banned." A complete data set of shirt sponsorship in the Premier League era, recently collated by Synergy Insights Dir Jonathan Izzard, shows "clearly how gambling and casinos have come to dominate." By going back to '92, it also "reminds us that alcohol once led the way." Five of the sides that finished in the top seven in '94-95 "had booze on their shirts (now no top-flight club does)." In the mid-'00s the picture "was different again, with a boom in financial services advertising." Those same companies "became distinctly less visible after the crash" of '08. Changing trends "may tell us something." More likely, however, "they tell us about companies that are desperate for attention." Consultancy firm Mongoose Sports & Entertainment Dir Rupert Pratt said, "Quite simply if you want to create overnight brand awareness in multiple countries, there is nothing more simple and effective than putting your logo on a football shirt. There’s no need for creativity, no need for copywriting. It’s the most cost-effective billboard you can buy." In '17, this is "especially true for gambling companies." Sport, and football in particular, "is intimately linked with betting." Many people who see the logos on footballers' shirts will be gambling as they do so. Pratt: "It's the purest form of marketing. You are advertising your product at the time people want to put a bet on" (GUARDIAN, 10/8).
