The Church of England and healthcare professionals have criticized soccer player Wayne Rooney over his transfer to Derby County, which involves a lucrative deal to promote a betting company.
The former England captain has signed with the Championship side for a reported salary of ￡90,000 (US$108,333) per week, part of which is to be paid by the online casino 32Red.
He is also to wear the No. 32 shirt, it was announced on Tuesday as part of his multimillion-pound overall deal.
Photo: AP
Alan Smith, the bishop of Saint Albans and the church’s gambling spokesman, said that celebrities must have greater awareness of the effects of their choices, and that Rooney should refuse to wear the shirt.
“Stars need to wake up to the fact they’re doing their fans no favors by wearing gambling logos,” he said. “There is a clear academic consensus on the impact these types of adverts have on children.”
“Rooney should take the lead and stand up for his fans by refusing to wear this shirt,” he added. “If young footballers see a national treasure refusing to sully his personal brand and taking a moral stand, it will better protect families from gambling-related harm both now and in the future.”
A group of leading healthcare professionals and academics also condemned Derby’s decision to require Rooney to wear the No. 32 shirt and called on the government to ban gambling sponsorship.
“There is now a substantial body of evidence which shows the impact of gambling advertising on children,” the group said in a letter.
“International evidence also shows that children and young people are influenced by the behavior of their heroes,” it said. “The worldwide deregulation of gambling has been accompanied by a proliferation of advertising, promotion and sponsorship.”
Politicians in Australia, Belgium and Italy had introduced restrictions, the group said, criticizing the British government for being “reluctant to act” and preferring “self-regulation and industry-led responsible gambling campaigns.”
“Acting now will help to prevent the next generation of gambling harm,” the letter added.
32Red was fined ￡2 million last year for repeatedly failing to help a problem gambler. It offered the customer VIP status and free bonuses instead of advice as he deposited more than ￡750,000 over two years.
Newspapers have highlighted how Rooney previously said that his own gambling losses had been “stupid.”
“I had an idea I was doing badly and did what most gamblers do,” he wrote in his autobiography. “I chased my bets and tried to recoup my losses by putting on bigger sums. Eventually the story appeared in the newspapers. In a way I’m glad it did all come out. It shocked me into realizing how much I’d been betting and losing and how stupid I’d been.”
Half of the English Premier League’s teams are to feature a gambling company’s logo on their shirts during this season, and that figure rises to 17 out of 24 clubs in the second-tier Championship.
In February, the Church of England’s governing body called for tighter regulation around gambling advertising.
“More children gamble each week than drink, smoke or take drugs,” Smith said at the time. “This generational scandal sees young people immersed in social media and tech platforms, where the gambling industry relentlessly promote their products as part of a ￡1.5 billion annual spend... Gambling advertising is pervasive and is remembered and understood by young people.”
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