GAMSTOP chair Chris Pond has emphasised the importance of reaching sporting audiences to raise awareness of the self-exclusion tool.
Pond took on the role of chair at GAMSTOP at the start of September, following the departure of Jenny Watson.
He is currently the chair of both the Money and Mental Health Advisory Board and the Financial Conduct Authority’s Financial Services Consumer Panel, and previously served as a trustee with GambleAware from April 2017 to March 2020.
Pond highlighted the importance of engaging with sporting audiences to raise GAMSTOP’s profile, giving it the best opportunity to reach those suffering from gambling-related harm.
He said: “Reaching sports audiences is crucial. Football and other sports are closely linked to gambling advertising and sponsorship, and many fans may be at risk or know someone who is.
“By partnering with clubs and sports organisations, we can raise awareness in high-risk environments and promote positive messages about self-care and support”.
Pond emphasised the impact of GAMSTOP’s Self Exclusion Day initiative, which took place on 18 September and was supported by football teams across all four divisions of English football.
The headline message for the campaign was ‘Change the Game’, urging fans who may be experiencing gambling harm to ‘take back control and enjoy the football’.
A total of 29 social media posts went live on the day itself across X, Instagram and Facebook, reaching a combined following of 9.1 million.
Pond pointed to the key role GAMSTOP plays in the gambling harm prevention space following the introduction of the statutory levy, which came into effect in April.
He continued: “The GAMSTOP Group can play a key role in providing data and insights to inform research and policy and collaborating on prevention initiatives that align with national priorities.
“This is a moment to deepen our impact and reinforce our commitment to public protection, ensuring self-exclusion remains accessible, effective and responsive to user needs.”
The new chair also recognised the need for greater collaboration with business within the financial services sector, as they maintain a crucial relationship with vulnerable customers.
Pond added: “There is scope for data sharing and early intervention, where financial behaviour may signal risk; embedding self-exclusion tools into banking apps and platforms; and joint awareness campaigns to promote responsible gambling and financial wellbeing.”
There are also plans to link the self-exclusion scheme more deeply to the one deployed for betting shops, MOSES.
In July, GAMSTOP announced it had received a record number of registrations during 2025.
The self-exclusion tool had a record 10,281 registrations in April, only for the figure to be topped a month later when it reached 10,344 in May.
The post New GAMSTOP chair targets sports fans to raise self-exclusion awareness first appeared on EGR Intel.
Former MP Chris Pond says “reaching sports audiences is crucial” to engaging as many people affected by gambling harm as possible
The post New GAMSTOP chair targets sports fans to raise self-exclusion awareness first appeared on EGR Intel.