More than 20,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Everton to drop their new gambling sponsor.

The club announced the “record” deal with online casino stake.com two weeks ago, meaning logos will appear on men’s and women’s team shirts next season. But there has been criticism from fans, with campaigners calling the move “saddening”.

Everton have previously said betting sponsors are “not ideal” but needed to consider commercial decisions.

Many fans have accepted the club needed to take a different path after posting £372m in losses over the last three seasons, and it is understood there are no plans to ditch the new partnership.