Argyll Entertainment CEO Stuart Tilly fights for gambling’s commercial relationship with football

Solihull Moors FC is an ambitious National League club managed by Premier League winner Tim Flowers, who came very close to defying our pre-season promotion odds of 40/1 last term. Only founded in 2007, they have risen up the non-league pyramid to within touching distance of the EFL for the first time in their history.

As part of the club’s continued push to climb the pyramid, they’ve invested heavily on and off the pitch, including by renovating a ground that this season I am proud to say goes by the name of the SportNation.bet stadium, after we signed a deal stepping up our commitment from betting partner to stadium naming rights holder.

Along with other sponsors new and old, the club are actively building to compete not only in the footballing world, but also in the commercial and corporate spheres. It is clear to see the benefits of working with a mix of sponsors, including ourselves, reach far beyond the first XI. The SportNation.bet stadium also hosts Women’s Super League side Birmingham City, while the club has a burgeoning community football offering with nearly 100 teams, belying their official status as a non-league outfit, all making use of the excellent pitch, training and social facilities.

However, of late there has been an unarguable (and not altogether unwarranted I hasten to add) increase in scrutiny of online gambling’s association with football, particularly around the nature and extent of club partnerships and advertising around the game generally; culminating in a backlash of condemnation that our industry’s relationship with the beautiful game is bad for the sport, society and contra to the industry’s commitment towards social responsibility. While I have sympathy with the argument that online gambling has perhaps become too intertwined with football, especially with regards to the proliferation of online gambling advertisements around televised matches, I do not agree that companies like mine which provide a regulated, safe and secure entertainment product, should not be welcome to be a part of the mix of businesses that support forward-thinking clubs like Solihull Moors FC.

Freedom of choice

I’m willing to stand up for our industry’s right to engage commercially with football in a compliant, responsible and mutually-beneficial fashion and for the board at Solihull Moors – or any other club for that matter – to have the freedom to select commercial partners on a case by case basis simply by assessing their suitability as a backer. From the boardroom to the dugout we’ve had an incredibly warm welcome at Solihull and there’s plenty of evidence that those on the terrace who enjoy a bet appreciate our association too – happily using an operator who directly supports their club when having their Saturday afternoon flutter – much for the same reason they have their pie and pint in the clubhouse as part of their matchday routine.

The industry’s relationship with football is a pivotal part of a broader responsible gambling strategy. We strive to create a safe and secure environment for our customers to choose to spend their leisure time in and we are fully committed to ensuring that the maximum responsible gambling standards are also upheld when entering such sporting partnerships. If we and the wider industry continue to hold up our end of the bargain in this regard, then the opportunity as a licensed and responsible outfit to continue to support clubs where the entire community benefits from the investment, should remain intact. I would like to think our relationship with Solihull Moors can be held up as a positive example of operators investing in football clubs rather than being looked at as detrimental to the game. With recent headlines serving as a timely reminder of the perilous financial state of some clubs in the lower rungs of English football, how much more detrimental would it be if a blanket ban on such investment were to be enacted across grassroots football?

Stuart Tilly is the current CEO of Argyll Entertainment and co-founder of the international social games association.