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Football's relationship with betting in new row

Steve Sutherland discusses the betting controversy enveloping the FA: Betting deal

He notes: 'Three years ago, the Football Association indicated that it wanted to distance itself from the gambling industry by ending its £4million-a-year sponsorship from Ladbrokes, who are owned by GVC Holdings. It’s little wonder then that The FA are receiving heavy criticism over the sale of FA Cup rights to BET365 via its deal with sports rights agency IMG, a deal which is due to run until 2024.'

He says, 'Ideally I’d like to see gambling sponsorships go the way of tobacco and alcohol, both of which were major sponsors of sport'but admits this is not realistic because of the financial effect it would have on clubs and suggests an alternative approach.

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