WANDERERS chief executive Neil Hart has opened up about the club’s decision to cut links with betting companies.

The Whites will no longer provide any on-site betting at the UniBol or enter into any new commercial partnerships with betting firms.

They have instead pledged to support charities and organisations which help those suffering from gambling addiction. 

"Bolton want to win on the pitch, but alongside that is doing the right thing," Hart told BBC Sport.

"We just felt, with the saturation of betting advertising around football, we didn't need to be part of that.

"We are not saying to supporters don't bet, but we aren't going to provide you with that opportunity within the stadium and it's something we believed in.

"The early indication is it's been received very positively and our supporters are very much aligned with us."

Hart - who joined Wanderers over the summer - says he supports a ban on gambling adverts in football and insists other clubs could survive without them.

He added: "Bolton was in a desperate state two years ago - Sharon (Brittan) and Football Ventures saved it from extinction and have guided it though the pandemic on the back of trying to exit administration.

"Now there is a new approach where we are trying to do things a bit differently, with transparency, honesty and openness.

"I know what is out there for Bolton Wanderers in that commercial space and we are going to work very hard to bring in the right partners for us that provide longevity and good levels of revenue as well.

"We don't need to talk to betting companies to do that."

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