The Role Of Sports Betting Partnerships In Enhancing Football Club Revenues

Sponsorship deals are not just an important aspect of football, but of sports in general. They contribute greatly to the financial success of a given club, and could even help propel said club into popularity. In exchange, the brands get their names featured in stadiums or on merchandise across the world, and are promoted by players in a sport watched by billions of people.

In the 21st century, a lot of industries have gone digital, and the sports betting market is no exception. Most people don’t visit bookmakers, because the internet makes it easy to gain access to top of the line websites, like BetTarget UK, that get the job done quickly. The growing success of sports betting has resulted in these websites getting a lot of attention by certain football clubs.

Forming Partnerships

In the early 21st century, online sports betting was still not as popular as it is today. So, partnerships between sports betting markets and football clubs is a relatively new phenomenon. That being said, already betting websites and businesses have become a pretty big part of the football world. For example, in 2021, a study showed that 9% of sponsors in Russian football divisions were bookmakers of some sort.

The Russian division may not be the most popular, but it does have a huge audience in Russia, and surrounding countries. However, if you are interested in something more global, then we need look no further than the English Premier League. According to statistics from 2020, 8% of the sponsorships in the English division were sports betting-related. Now, five years later, when online bookmakers are even more popular than before, that number may have drastically increased.

The question is, why are football clubs jumping on the chance to work with sports betting websites, and vice versa? Well, we are going to explore that in the next section. Though, of course, some may already have an idea of why these kinds of partnerships are matches made in heaven.

Mutually Beneficial Relationships

The reason why online bookmakers would want to work with some of the big clubs is rather obvious; it means that they will get more exposure from the partnership. Recently, the EPL club Liverpool managed to achieve over one billion social engagements, becoming one of the most popular sports brands in the world. Considering Liverpool is not even the top most popular club in England, that is saying a lot. So, by working together with noteworthy clubs, brands can get global exposure.

But, what do football clubs get out of working with the sports betting industry? The answer is, once again, simple; they get funding. The way sponsorships work is; a business pays a club or player to promote the product. For that reason, we are seeing more and more clubs in England, that bear the logo of a betting website on their jersey. It is also why we are seeing the EPL attract football players from all over the world, and are constantly hearing news about record breaking transfers to the EPL.

At the end of the day, sports betting websites partnering with clubs is mutually beneficial. It gives bookmakers a lot more exposure, making it possible for them to pay higher wages to the clubs sponsoring them. These higher wages can go into acquiring better players, and attracting a bigger audience, thus getting more exposure for both the clubs, and their sponsors. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if we see more partnerships between bookmakers and football clubs in the future.

A Future Outside of Football

Another reason football players specifically might be attracted to sponsorship deals with sports betting websites, is that it gives them a future outside of football. Like most athletes, football players retire when they get to be around 40. After that, it is a matter of luck and insight as to whether they will get the opportunity to work as a coach, manager, or some other kind of pundit.

However, a well-known and well-liked football player will continue to have star power for the next few years, even after retirement. It wouldn’t be surprising for certain brands to try to use said player as an ambassador for their brand. Since sports betting is so closely related to football anyways, it is only natural to see a football player (or former football player) promoting one of their sites.

This not only opens the player for more opportunities in the future, but it also lends a level of credibility to the bookmaker. Of course, it also helps with attracting new fans, particularly those who were following the player’s career before they retired.

Examples of Partnerships

In this penultimate section, we would like to take a look at some examples of football clubs partnering up with sports betting sites. The first example that comes to mind is Chelsea, that had a very fruitful and successful sponsorship deal with the popular gambling brand, William Hill, from 2016 to 2019. That same brand went on to form a deal with Tottenham Hotspur as well. Both partnerships were incredibly fruitful, greatly contributing to the bookmaker’s brand visibility.

Betting sponsorships are also big even outside of the English Premier League. In La Liga for example, the club Mallorca has had previous dealings with sports betting fans and businesses. Though Mallorca may not be La Liga’s most prominent team, they are still a noteworthy club in the second most popular domestic league in the world. Naturally, this greatly contributed to the bookie’s popularity, not just in Spain, but worldwide.

Arguments Against Sponsorships

With all this being said, some are staunchly against the idea of bookmakers working with football clubs and players. The main argument is that players are not allowed to wager, so why would they promote a bookmaker? However, the truth of the matter is that footballers are able to wager, and in fact, many do. They are not allowed to wager on football, naturally, but they can still place a bet on horse racing, basketball, cricket, or any other sport.

Regardless, some football organizations have taken measures against partnerships with bookmakers. For example, in the English Premier League, partnerships are allowed. However, a team’s main shirt sponsor cannot be a bookie.

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