Content warnings: addiction, substance abuse, suicide.
For support with gambling addiction please visit www.begambleaware.org. National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133
When we think about addiction, many of us may conjure up an image of someone dependant on alcohol or abusing drugs, not someone placing a bet on who’s going to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at the weekend. But as the internet makes gambling more accessible than ever and the number of people seeking help for gambling addiction grows year on year, we are starting to wake up to the dangers of backing a horse or calling the outcome of a football match.
In the UK, it’s thought that problem gambling is an issue for around 9 in every 1,000 people, which is about 1% of the population. This problem can manifest itself as some cash lost every month, but it can also have much graver consequences as people face break downs in relationships, extreme debt, and loss of assets such as their savings or their home. Though precise figures are difficult to ascertain, it is thought that between 250 and 650 people take their lives each year as a result of gambling-related struggles. To many people, it seems obvious that gambling can lead to addiction just as severe as drug or alcohol abuse, and yet it remains a common and accepted – even encouraged – activity in the media, online, and in the daily lives of many, and its presence in the world of sport is particularly noticeable.
The discussion around the role of gambling and of betting companies in sport is a conversation that has only recently made its way into the public conscience, despite many organisations trying to highlight the problems for years. At the start of the year, the FA was heavily criticised after it was announced that FA Cup matches would be streamed through betting sites, despite ostensibly putting an end to deals with betting firms in 2017. This controversy sparked a wider debate into the pervasive presence of betting advertising and culture in football, in the form of shirt sponsors, pitch-side hoardings and aggressive advertising both on television and online. The issue is a contentious one with conflicting interests on both sides of the argument, but whilst there may not be an obvious solution, there is at least now a conversation in the sport about gambling addiction, with many parties involved in British football now more mindful about the dangers of gambling and pointing sufferers in the direction of help.
Is it time cycling had the same conversation?
As well as the disproportionate number of lotteries on jerseys in the WorldTour, anyone who spends time in the cycling Twittersphere will have been exposed to talk about ‘E/W’ and ‘h2h’ bets and posts attributing odds to every rider before every race. There is a community of tipsters who have made a name for themselves by writing odds-focused race previews and recommending specific bets with specific bookies. Some even charge monthly for such a service. But betting discourse is not confined within these circles. In fact, some of the most widely-read and followed cycling publications and journalists tweet and write about betting. In 2018, Cycling Weekly published an in-depth piece about cycling betting and how to get into it, pointing the readers towards websites and strategies. Just this morning, Cyclist published an Omloop Het Nieuwsblad preview, half of which was dedicated to telling us which bookies are offering which odds. Cyclist at least provided a disclaimer and a link to GambleAware, Cycling Weekly did not. The vast majority of previews offering tips do not offer pointers towards help or really any acknowledgement of the risks of betting. Gambling sites are (not in a foolproof manner) blocked to under-18s and advertising to minors is illegal, but a tweet from Dan Lloyd or an article in Cyclist are free for anyone to read, again usually starkly lacking in any sort of warning or disclaimer. We have people that fans look up to and publications that they trust pushing an activity that can ruin lives. In any other setting, this would seem insane. There surely must be an open and meaningful conversation about the discourse surrounding betting in the cycling community.
There are many reasons why this discussion hasn’t already arisen. The first is the simple fact that cycling is a minority sport in the UK – its fanbase (and thus gambling base) is a fraction of that of football for example. Yet even within the small but active world of cycling fans, there is little talk about the dangers of gambling on the sport despite its growing popularity. The reasons for this may be complex, but the issue that stands out to me is class. There is a gross misconception about addictions of any kind that they are a problem of primarily the working class, and this extends to gambling addiction. It’s seen as an issue for working-class football fans who don’t know how to control their money, surely not for the white, middle-aged banker sporting a £200 Rapha jacket? Cycling is viewed as – and largely is, shamefully – a very middle-class pursuit, but this in no way makes its fans immune to problem gambling. Addiction can affect anyone, and it will affect many if we do not create an environment that is mindful to and aware of the dangers of gambling and how to support those who need it.
The questions around cycling and betting form only a small part of the wide-reaching topic of sport and social responsibility under capitalism, but it is an important issue nonetheless. Cycling Twitter in particular – where this blog will be posted – needs to be aware of how to responsibly talk about betting, and well-known publications and figures must be the ones to lead the way.
Words by Tilda 