The 71-year-old, who is England’s most-capped player of all time, suffered from a 45-year gambling addiction.
Earlier this week, he joined campaigners handing in a petition with 12,000 signatures to 10 Downing Street calling for an end to gambling sponsorship in football. Shilton also delivered a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the issue, having recently published a book with his wife about overcoming his gambling addiction.
“The law needs to change,” said Shilton. “We get more and more letters about how much gambling keeps cropping up on TV or gamblers who’ve quit getting pop-up adverts. It needs to be regulated and this government needs to do something about it.”
Gambling sponsorship in football is one of a number of issues being discussed in the Government review of the 2005 Gambling Act, with the findings and proposals of the review set to be published by the end of the year.
A Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spokesperson said the department is “absolutely committed to protecting people at risk of gambling-related harm,” adding that the new laws will be “fit for the digital age, including marketing and advertising.”
