Today’s match against Yeovil Town is dedicated to Safer Gambling Week in partnership with the organisation, Deal Me Out.
Deal Me Out is a registered community interest company which aims to educate, prevent and support those with gambling awareness, harm and addiction.
It delivers the national education and gambling harms awareness programme, aiming to reduce the adverse impact of gambling on the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, communities, and society through education, prevention, and support.
They do this by bringing education and training to the population about gambling and gaming-related harms and giving people the tools to help themselves and others.
In partnership with Deal Me Out, the club and Oldham Athletic Community Trust, all staff will take part in a workshop delivered by Deal Me Out in the coming weeks.
Deal Me Out will also be located in the Rochdale Road Stand this afternoon to speak to fans about the work they do as well as support fans with safer gambling. The players will also warm up in Deal Me Out t-shirts to raise awareness for the organisation and their amazing work.
Ahead of the matchday, Callum Irving from the Community Trust said; “It has been fantastic to work with Deal Me Out and collaborate for Safer Gambling Week, raising awareness for a great cause that is extremely important in football.
“It is important to be educated on the harm of gambling as experts claim that more than 12 million UK residents have at least one online gambling account and 70% of accounts bet on football.
“We are also aware of how important the cause is for Yeovil Town with former captain, Lee Collins, being affected by gambling harm and we hope both clubs can support this cause this weekend.
Deal Me Out CEO Jordan Lea said: “We are immensely proud to work alongside Oldham Athletic and its supporters for safer gambling week.
“Gambling harm does not discriminate, It can happen to anybody. For hundreds of thousands of people up and down the country, Gambling addiction is a daily struggle, tearing families apart.
“I myself, and my family know exactly how bad things can get. Having battled a 15-year addiction myself, coming into recovery only 5 years ago, I remember the pain vividly.
“My thoughts ahead of the game are with the family of former Yeovil captain, Lee Collins, who sadly took his own life after battling addictions. It is a stark reminder that addiction can affect anybody, No matter your background.
“If anybody at Oldham wishes to discuss their gambling, or that of a loved one, I am always available personally, and so are all of the team here at Deal Me Out.
“I'd like to extend a huge thank you to Oldham Athletic for their incredible support. Oldham is an amazing community club with exceptional fans. And we will always be here to support it's community where we can.
You can contact Deal Me Out via email to hello@dealmeout.org or visit their website dealmeout.org.