LOI Promotion Activities

[ToberonaTornado]

Every club becoming more solemn and righteous than bohs these days *roll eyes**
PATS and DROGS ARE full ON THE POWER PEDAL!

[sbgawa]

Shamrock Rovers got a fair bit of criticism for their sponsorship by 888… logic behind sbgawa’s post?

No just the grumpy old man in me that has a low tolerance for virtue signaling. I have zero problem with 888 sport sponsoring rovers or indeed any loi club taking money from gambling sponsors. It's the snowflake society we live in these days , everything is someone else's fault, no such thing as personal responsibility. Its mcdonalds fault kids are overweight because their burgers have to many calories not the parents fault for bringing them there. It's the cigarette companies fault rather than the people's fault who smoke knowing its bad for them etc.

[sbgawa]

Although I think bohs were a disgrace when they were sponsored by Mr Green that was completely different

[sullanefc]

Well done Drogs, Pats and Harps. I would hope City would take a similar stand.

For me, gambling should be the same as alcohol and cigarettes because of it's addictive nature and the harm it can do to people.

I wouldn't be calling for it to be made illegal, but I would support a ban on gambling sponsorship.

The horse racing industry has power in this country though. And a "sport" that is rather pointless without gambling is going to resist a ban on gambling.

[ToberonaTornado]

Well done Drogs, Pats and Harps. I would hope City would take a similar stand.

For me, gambling should be the same as alcohol and cigarettes because of it's addictive nature and the harm it can do to people.

I wouldn't be calling for it to be made illegal, but I would support a ban on gambling sponsorship.

The horse racing industry has power in this country though. And a "sport" that is rather pointless without gambling is going to resist a ban on gambling.

Gambling exists wayyyyyyyy beyond the horse racing industry- Ireland has become a nanny state.Can't smoke mint cigs,beer taxed to fcuk,nice fast petrol driven cars unaffordable to drive! You couldn't live fast and die young in this hell hole even if you tried it seems.

[pineapple stu]

No just the grumpy old man in me that has a low tolerance for virtue signaling. I have zero problem with 888 sport sponsoring rovers or indeed any loi club taking money from gambling sponsors. It's the snowflake society we live in these days , everything is someone else's fault, no such thing as personal responsibility. Its mcdonalds fault kids are overweight because their burgers have to many calories not the parents fault for bringing them there. It's the cigarette companies fault rather than the people's fault who smoke knowing its bad for them etc.

I think there's something in that to be fair. I guess it's the difference between targetting gambling and targetting gambling companies. The odd flutter is fine, but gambling companies are utter *****s. Here's an extract from the wiki article on Gambling in the UK for example -

The industry refers to problem gamblers as VIPs. According to The Guardian, the industry actively encourages VIPs to gamble more by providing them with free gifts. The industry recruits staff to target VIPs and get them to spend more, to contact VIP's who have not gambled for some time and get them to restart gambling, to identify less serious gamblers who could become VIP's and get them to gamble more.

Or here's an extract from the Irish Examiner, in a review of a recently published book on the rise of Paddy Power -

At its most basic, as Aaron Rogan writes in his new book Punters: How Paddy Power Bet Billions and Changed Gambling Forever, Paddy Power’s “business model was supercharged by the advent of the internet and high-powered data-harvesting tools to nudge gamblers to bet on products designed to trigger psychological urges that caused concern they were leading people into addiction…”

They also develop games which are more addictive, cheaper, have more predictable house odds, and can be staged more often (the likes of those virtual chariot races for example). That's all pretty nasty stuff. Can't remember where I read this, but I think when the UK Government put a one-hour limit on play at games like that, gambling firms just opened outlets across the street from each other, so you could bounce back and forth between the two.

But yeah, is the solution to ban all gambling advertising, or is it to regulate the whole industry better? One is easy, one is quite hard I'd say, but surely the better long-term option. And in a not-at-all relevant fact of course, gambling contributes 0.5% of UK GDP and £700m of tax revenues, while employing 100,000 people. Scratchies used to be described as a tax on the stupid I remember, but I think the current situation is about as far removed from that as an atomic bomb is removed from a spear.

I think it's different to smoking in that cigarette ads were blatant lies in fairness. Also it's much harder to spot a gambling addict than, say, an alcoholic or a massively obese person, and I think it's reasonable that regulations should try redress that balance.

[EatYerGreens]

No just the grumpy old man in me that has a low tolerance for virtue signaling. I have zero problem with 888 sport sponsoring rovers or indeed any loi club taking money from gambling sponsors. It's the snowflake society we live in these days , everything is someone else's fault, no such thing as personal responsibility. Its mcdonalds fault kids are overweight because their burgers have to many calories not the parents fault for bringing them there. It's the cigarette companies fault rather than the people's fault who smoke knowing its bad for them etc.

Given your penchant for people taking responsibiity for their own choices, we look forward to you accepting that Rovers share a degree of the personal responsibility for the damage caused by the gambling which they're promoting for cash.

[Nesta99]

For me, gambling should be the same as alcohol, cigarettes and League of Ireland because of it's addictive nature and the harm it can do to people.

Adding to your post a tad - would I give up my LoI addiction for the harm it does me, not a hope!!


Its all been trashed out before but Im with sbgawa mostly on this. The underlying issues to why addiction occurs needs greater understanding and targeting not necessarily restriction of the purveyor. Gambling has a low addiction rate in an overall population, while not taking away from those who do suffer irrespective of the numbers. A quick google gives 12% of people in Ireland gamble and of that 2% gamble regularly, whether that classed as compulsive or detrimental depends on so many things that at times like this we could be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If ye have more than 2 bottle of beer in California youd be seen as an alcoholic, people in this country scoff at public health campaigns that suggests levels of risky alcohol consumption - low risk consumption is 17 (standard) drinks over a week, two very different types of thinking on the same issue.

Everything has addiction potential, exercise, food in overeating and in diet including 'healthy' diets. Just for context illegal drug use has been a scourge on Irish society as we know, heroin probably the highest profile, and there has been a blanket ban since the opium den days of Oscar Wilde yet abuse and addiction has grown - all illegal drug use by 82% in just the last 10 years. Misuse of legal illegal drugs has caused the death of approx 10k people here in a little over a decade so the strategy used has failed.


I don't see a right or wrong in this tbh there are just too many variables, if people feel it necessary that's fine. But we shouldn't believe that these club gestures will be a solution, job done, as past experience has shown that restriction/prohibition doesn't necessarily cause downward trends and this is where my concern lies as if these battles are perceived to have been dealt with and then hence there is greater risk. The root of either or both physical or psychological addiction needs addressing on a wider societal basis not on individual or narrow focus. It is also a risk that publicised stances by individual clubs on such issues can cause contempt among some, particularly in sport by its very nature of rivalry, one-upmanship etc. so I think when these things are needed to be done they should done league wide in solidarity with all parties eg starting from x season all clubs will or will not do y. It could well be a better solution to take such sponsorship and direct those funds collectively to facilitate education and then intervention/assistance where necessary. In whatever way this industry will continue, and continue to cause serious difficulty for some so maybe the companies should be taxed heavily, not passing costs on to punters and ringfence income for a proper cohesive national strategy - by all means fronted by the FAI, LoI, GAA, HRI etc. League clubs being at the forefront of lobbying for proper strategy, go for it. Until then it is for sure principled, laudable but piecemeal.


Covid fatigue has bee supercharged 'cause of the constant public health promotion in a short space of time - I think people become equally less attentive to a drip feed of 'this is bad so stop it'. So for as well intended at things may be, if some refuse such sponsorship and some do then the efforts can fall on tired deaf ears. Clubs can take a lead for sure and try to get everyone on board and maybe bide some time until everyone is on board.


The only public health/safety campaign that has absolutely shown benefits is on road safety (prpbably the smoking ban too has had a positive impact but again a national strategy with many many groups and businesses buying in eventually) and reducing fatalities, done over a couple of decades, significant reform, driver education at the centre and yet often gets dismissed as a money making racket blah blah - but it is a structured evidenced based approach to the problem over a long period of time. While not directly transferrable there are lessons to be taken from the RSA methods. Rather than banning gambling company sponsorship, their marketing, unmarked shop fronts we need to, via government and legislation, remove the like of VIP members, ensure that online gambling accounts are properly age verified, get rid of promotional bundles, new members free credit. Ultimately identify why some socioeconomic groups have higher numbers of problem gambling and government kook to mitigate somehow against this - poverty quite likely a leading temptation to try to gamble and win a way out of financial difficulty and of course that being counter intuitive.

[sullanefc]

Gambling exists wayyyyyyyy beyond the horse racing industry- Ireland has become a nanny state.Can't smoke mint cigs,beer taxed to fcuk,nice fast petrol driven cars unaffordable to drive! You couldn't live fast and die young in this hell hole even if you tried it seems.

No one is calling for a ban on gambling, just the advertising. So quit the hysteria and nanny state BS.

And yes, gambling goes beyond horse racing. You can bet on soccer matches and gaa matches etc, but do you know what, I couldn't see the FAI or GAA lobbying on behalf of the gambling companies, could you? I could see the horse racing and greyhound industries lobbying for gambling advertising. And yes, they are an influential lobby group. Why else would they be getting an obscene amount of government money.

[D24Saint]

St Pat’s In Pakistan | Behind The Scenes | Day 1 - YouTube

Brian Kerr in Pakistan for the final phase of the scouting.

[Nesta99]

Ugh!! The carbon credits to upload and view that video....maybe if Jonny McDonnell quit talking for 5 minutes, not spewing all that hot air it would off set that carbon footprint!

[D24Saint]

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/a-night-...78707?ref=eios

The save tolka park campaign is having a fundraiser in Temple bar in March.

[redobit]

Sligo Rovers FC:

Following a query at our Annual General Meeting last night, the club can issue the following update on gambling advertising.

“Sligo Rovers have taken the decision not to accept sponsorship from gambling companies.

“The Bit O’ Red have turned down two large sponsorship offers from gambling companies in the last number of months as we move to formalise this policy.

“As a community-funded club, we believe it would be irresponsible to accept these proposals.

“Sponsorship is a critical aspect in the running of Sligo Rovers and turning down five-figure sponsorship offers is not a straight-forward decision, particularly given the club is self-funded with no individual benefactor like many others in the League of Ireland.

“The ethos of our club is to be inclusive and open to welcome all ages and demographics. We feel such advertising, directly aimed at our supporters and particularly to our young fans, could have a detrimental outcome going forward and not in the spirit of the football club.”

[placid casual]

Sligo don't need sponsorship- they have their fans dipping into their pockets every few months to keep the club competitive. Wonder does anyone from castlebar following sligo?

[sadloserkid]

"Deportes&Finanzas® on Twitter: "📲⚽🇮🇪 TOP 5 most popular irish football clubs on #instagram during 2021! Ranking by total interactions 💙💬 1.@ShamrockRovers 1,08M 2.@bfcdublin 747K 3.@DundalkFC 455K 4.@CorkCityFC 452K 5.@stpatsfc 391K https://t.co/r7mEW7Dy9n" / Twitter" https://mobile.twitter.com/DeporFina...73124631912454

Figure this is as good a place as any to drop this for you all to fight over.

[pineapple stu]

All UCD away games being shown live in the Clubhouse Bar this year, via LOITV.

[Philosophizer]

It was already mentioned in another thread but wanted to bring it here too:
Footy Adventures page on YouTube did some interesting LOI videos recently - visiting grounds, attending games, having craic with fans etc.
The popularity of that kind of stuff and social media is definitely contributing to the attendances at the moment I feel. And since I watched some of his videos I'm now getting recommendations of other similar guys who've made similar LOI vids. There's probably a bunch of them doing it, promoting the league to huge audiences. Our league is seen as something a bit alternative and niche these days, and I think a lot of people are intrigued by it.
Dan McDonnell said it on one of the recent podcasts too - the LOI has always been full of quirky characters and unusual stories. Through social media and youtube, that's now being shown to the world.

[Martinho II]

It was already mentioned in another thread but wanted to bring it here too:
Footy Adventures page on YouTube did some interesting LOI videos recently - visiting grounds, attending games, having craic with fans etc.
The popularity of that kind of stuff and social media is definitely contributing to the attendances at the moment I feel. And since I watched some of his videos I'm now getting recommendations of other similar guys who've made similar LOI vids. There's probably a bunch of them doing it, promoting the league to huge audiences. Our league is seen as something a bit alternative and niche these days, and I think a lot of people are intrigued by it.
Dan McDonnell said it on one of the recent podcasts too - the LOI has always been full of quirky characters and unusual stories. Through social media and youtube, that's now being shown to the world.

Seen that mentioned in Treaty Utd Longford town program that I was reading earlier Footy Adventures was at the game. Is this the same guy that was singing in a pub in Wales with Sligo Rovers fans?

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Nah Bootlegger was that fella

[Philosophizer]

Seen that mentioned in Treaty Utd Longford town program that I was reading earlier Footy Adventures was at the game. Is this the same guy that was singing in a pub in Wales with Sligo Rovers fans?

I don't think so, but possibly. As I said above, I think there's a few British YouTubers at it now as it's the off season in UK.
He was at a game in Tallaght and actually bumped into another social media guy in the stand, Stadium Tourist I think was his name - an Instagram guy who goes all over Europe.