The visibility of gambling sponsorship in football related products marketed directly to children

UK law prohibits direct marketing of gambling to children. However, our data, gathered between 2018 and 2020, demonstrate that gambling logos occur frequently in football-related products and media consumed by children. This is a pressing issue for policymakers because research suggests that although children engage with football as spectators, they engage more often through readily available material culture. Discussions in the media about sponsorship of football teams by gambling companies have focused on the exposure of children to advertisements during live broadcasts. Analysing visible gambling sponsorship in children’s media, this paper shows how a single gambling logo on a player’s shirt is refracted many times through collectable cards, football magazines and the mediatized ‘play’ of a child fan’s world. It concludes that discussions around gambling advertising and its impact on children should be informed by an awareness of how children, as opposed to adults, engage with football.