With the new football season getting underway tonight, the scale of gambling advertising across England’s top two leagues has been revealed.

Half of all Premier League teams are sponsored by gambling firms, raising big questions about the relationships between football and gambling.

Meanwhile 16 out of the 24 teams in the Championship are also carrying gambling company logos on their shirts.

It means that 60 per cent of teams across the top two divisions are sponsored by gambling companies.

Commenting, CARE’s James Mildred said: “A new football season begins with yet more evidence of the troubling relationship between gambling and football.

“It is time we had a serious public debate about the continued presence of gambling firms in the sport.

“We have an epidemic of child problem gamblers in Britain and for the sake of protecting them and other problem gamblers, surely we have to question whether the Premier League and other footballing authorities are doing enough to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling.”

According to the latest figures from the Gambling Commission, more than 400,000 adults are classified as problem gamblers, while a staggering 2m more are said to be at risk.

Meanwhile, 55,000 11-16-year olds are also classified as problem gamblers while more than 300,000 bet on a regular basis.

While gambling companies are not allowed to target children with their advertisements, their logos are emblazoned across children’s footballing hero’s chests without proper context.

Since last season there has been modest progress, with gambling firms agreeing a whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling advertising around live sporting events. But there is still a huge problem.

Find out if your team is sponsored by a betting firm:

Premier League

Championship League Teams