UK-listed gambling operator GVC Holdings’ Betdaq brand has ‘donated’ its shirt sponsorship of Sunderland AFC to a local cancer charity.

Ahead of the League One 2018-19 season, Sunderland signed a two-year shirt deal with Betdaq, but that was before the betting exchange’s parent company GVC called on the UK gambling industry to reduce its marketing exposure to local sports fans, including an end to such highly visible shirt deals.

Betdaq now says that it will ‘donate’ its Sunderland shirt space to the Children With Cancer charity for the upcoming 2019-20 season. Sunderland will debut the new-look kit this Sunday at Wembley Stadium during the club’s Championship playoff with Charlton Athletic.

GVC has been among the most vocal UK operators pushing for the industry to adopt a more robust approach to responsible gambling initiatives, including reducing its advertising during televised sports. However, critics have pointed out that the company enjoys widespread free publicity through the signage at its thousands of Ladbrokes and Coral betting shops and thus is relatively less reliant on a visible presence on the pitch than some of its rivals.