Sponsorship deals are essential to a club's survival but Maidstone United, whose average gate is 1,883 in National League South, have decided to take a stand against gambling advertising by signing up for the Big Step campaign.
Idman.biz reports according to BBC that the Stones have joined a number of other clubs - including Premier League Luton - in supporting the campaign, which is calling for an end to gambling and betting-related sponsorship in football.
"One of our players was suffering from anxiety due to drinking, drugs and gambling. That is what started the whole thing off," Maidstone's director of football Bill Williams said of the club's decision to sign up.
For the reasons that was banned for the impact on physical health, I can foresee the same happening here for the impact it can have on a person's mental health."
Maidstone signed up for the Big Step campaign in 2022 when they were in the National League, which in August 2021 agreed a two-year partnership with two online betting and casino platforms.
This weekend the Kent non-league club hope to hit the FA Cup jackpot by defeating Barrow from two levels above, and drawing a Premier League club in the third round.
"A club of Maidstone's size backing our cause is just as important as Luton in the Premier League," James Grimes, founder of Big Step, told BBC Sport. One of the arguments that the gambling industry use is that their advertising and sponsorship keep smaller clubs afloat. By having smaller clubs on board, people point to that and say, that evidently is not true. There are multiple clubs surviving and thriving without promoting gambling in front of their young fans."
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