English football clubs have long been associated with the world of sports betting. Just look around the stadiums of the Premier League and you will find adverts for sportsbooks at pitchside or on the shirts worn by players.
In some cases, such as Stoke City, a betting company has the sponsorship rights to stadium names. Despite an outcry from groups in the United Kingdom that too many betting firms sponsor football, sportsbooks’ involvement on this one subject won’t be ending anytime soon.
Sports betting firms and football have symbiotic relationship
When the 2019-20 Premier League season kicked off, over 50% of the league’s clubs had a sports betting firm’s logo emblazoned across their shirts. One step down the English Football League pyramid, even more teams started the campaign sponsored by betting firms. Seventeen of the second division’s 24 teams have a betting firm as shirt sponsor.
In February, Premier League CEO Richard Masters explained that sports betting companies would not away and that the relationship between the two groups will continue. Unlike other major sports leagues including the NFL and NBA, the Premier League doesn’t have a betting partner. Each club is allowed to negotiate a deal with the sports betting firm of their choosing. Each country has its own regulation, for example in Australia things are quite different.
One of the reasons gambling companies are so sought after by football clubs is due to the money they offer for a shirt deal. West Ham received £10 million for the 2019-20 season to have Betway across their jersey. Everton received £9.6m from SportPesa to wear its logo. The two teams have the seventh and eighth highest shirt sponsorship deals in the league.
While football clubs see gambling firms as ideal as a shirt sponsor, sportsbooks see Premier League teams as the best form of advertising available. Not only are players’ shirts emblazoned with the sportsbook’s logo, but all replica shirts and other merchandise receives it as well. While a betting firm pays for the right to sponsor a shirt, there logo is seen by even more people thanks to worldwide television broadcasts, highlights, and individuals wearing team merchandise.
The highs and lows of sportsbooks
Clubs with betting firm sponsors were set to make a total of nearly £350m for the entire 2019-20 campaign. Although clubs and the Premier League are enjoying their symbiotic relationship at the moment, UK political leaders have stated they will end ? or at least attempt ? sports betting companies from sponsoring clubs. If sportsbooks were banned from sponsoring shirts, however, clubs could struggle to pay salaries forcing them to lay off non-playing staff. It could also see some clubs struggling for cash go out of business.
Although the Premier League has benefited from sports betting companies, three lower leagues have not. In April, amateur and semi-professional divisions the Isthmian, Southern, and Northern Premier Leagues lost its title sponsor BetVictor after less than one season. BetVictor controversially took the title sponsor position last summer but has already activated a break clause in its contract and will not be back next term. The impact could be devastating to the three leagues.
The web in which football clubs and sportsbooks is connected is very much tangled. A ban would see both parties hit hard.
