Whether at home, in a pub, on TV, on tablets and smart mobile phones, football is one of the most popular and watched sports in the United Kingdom. Football betting sponsorship deals started for the very first time back in 2002 when London football club Fulham agreed to promote a major UK bookmaker. Since then, many global online sports and gambling providers with a UK gambling licence have increasingly linked their betting brands and logos on English national football teams’ gear and it has now become a normal and widely accepted business.
Sponsorship means that the betting operators can advertise their logos and branding on football t-shirts, events, stadium, billboards and banners. Many bookies hope that fans who try to make money with online betting will give their brand a shot.
The United Kingdom has historically been linked to football gambling since betting shops opened in the country and sports bookies took this opportunity to promote and display their brands on football matches and competitions. Sponsorship firstly started in betting shops and with the rise of online gambling, it naturally shifted to bookmakers sponsoring football clubs on their website content, promotional material, marketing campaigns and welcome offers.
During the English Premier League 2019/2020 season, sports betting companies sponsored 10 out of 20 football teams and this business trend seems to be constantly on the rise.
Football Teams and Sport Betting Sponsorships Deals
In the United Kingdom, West Ham United, Wolves, Crystal Palace, Everton and Burnley profit the most from this sort of advertising deals. Followers and fans of these leagues are now used to see their sponsors’ name everywhere during a match, on the club’s football gear and clubs’ own stadiums. As they visit their sponsor’s websites to place a stake, they get more and more acquainted with their slots, casino and live dealer casino games too. Fans gradually start placing bets on non-sport events and are more likely to become loyal casino players.
Football betting sponsorships are now an integral part of some of the main English football cups: League One, the English Championship, the Premier League and League 2.
Gambling Operators and Live Streaming of Sports
A more recent and lucrative trend is live streaming football matches and even entire football cup seasons online. A good example is the FA Cup, which can be live-streamed via UK, European and even global sports betting companies. Fans simply need to open a player account and have a positive sportsbook balance to be able to enjoy their favourite teams playing live.
