Gambling and football ‘a match made in hell’

Mr Paterson said: “I fear that money is more important [to the clubs] rather than health, because gambling is a mental health disorder.

“And on a moral basis professional athletes should not be used as billboards advertising products that aren’t safe for everyone.”

According to the latest statistics from the Scottish Public Health Observatory, about 0.4% of Scottish adults – 18,000 people – were classed as problem gamblers in 2021. A further 1.5%, about 68,000 adults, were likely to be at risk of moderate gambling problems.

And men were significantly more likely to be problem gamblers than women, 0.7% and 0.1% respectively.