In this era of big data, every brand should be making use of the enormous amount of information that is available online. It is no wonder then that in the past few years, the gambling industry has started using sports as a means of turning a profit.
When you think of sports teams, you likely think of the Atlanta Falcons, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the San Francisco Giants, and so on. But what about the teams these gambling companies sponsor?
When looking for a new sports team to root for, many people choose the “home team”, the team they grew up watching. But for others, the draw might be the “away team.” The same goes for gambling, where fans of a particular game might root for a particular bookmaker. The attraction of a gambling company to a sports team is this: it’s an easy way to increase revenue, which can be a valuable asset to an organization.
Sponsorship is not a new concept in sports, particularly among football teams. However, sports sponsorship has changed dramatically in recent years. It has evolved from being sponsored by beer and consumer electronics companies in the 1990s to being sponsored by airlines, banks, fintech, telecoms, and a variety of other companies.
Another sector that has thrown its hat into the sports sponsorship ring in recent years is the gambling industry. When users play the Great Blue slot machine and other casino games online, or make bets on their favorite sports, a portion of the profits go to sponsorship agreements. As a consequence, an increasing number of gambling firms are sponsoring sports teams, particularly football clubs. We’ll look at why gambling firms are getting into sponsorship and which companies are presently sponsoring a team or two in this post.
How Sports Teams and Gambling Companies Collaborate on Sponsorship
If you watch sports, particularly the Premier League, you’ve probably seen how gambling firms are increasingly appearing on the shirts of sports teams. This is unsurprising, given that sponsorship is a lucrative brand exposure approach that benefits both parties. The sports teams will wear the company’s name on their jerseys for the length of the contract after they sign it.
These betting firms may put themselves in front of millions of football fans across the world by signing sponsorship agreements. There is no more effective brand awareness campaign than one that is viewed by millions of individuals, particularly since these are the same people who use the internet to make bets with such businesses.
Furthermore, many studies have shown that the majority of fans would rather gamble with a gambling business that supports their favorite team than one that does not. And, given the millions of followers these teams often have, the market for these agreements is almost unlimited.
Sponsored sports teams, on the other hand, are rewarded with millions of dollars in exchange for brand exposure.
Currently Sponsored Sports Teams by Gambling Companies
Given the substantial boost in brand recognition that sponsorship agreements may offer to gambling businesses, it’ll be difficult to find a major corporation that isn’t involved in sponsorship. Some of the companies that are presently supporting one or more sports teams are as follows:
- Bwin
- Bet365
- Betfair
- Betway
Bwin
Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG is an Austrian gambling business that provides online sports betting, poker, and casino games. It was founded in 1997. As a result, in addition to a large sportsbook, the business offers a large number of Playtech slots as well as games from other well-known producers. Before it joined the sponsorship game, nothing was known about Bwin on the worldwide gaming industry. However, the company has sponsored a variety of sports teams throughout the years, ever since it inked its first sponsorship agreement. Some of the teams that Bwin has sponsored include Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and others.
Bwin’s involvement in sports is so extensive that it now sponsors the Portuguese League Cup, which has been dubbed the “Bwin Cup,” as well as Italy’s second division, Serie B. The brand isn’t just concerned with football. It works with the International Basketball Association and has long been a sponsor of the European and World Basketball Championships. It also has stakes in motorsports and poker tournaments.
Currently, the brand has sponsorship agreements with Borussia Dortmund, the 2012 Bundesliga winners, and Valencia CF, the 2019 Copa del Rey winner. It has just inked a sponsorship agreement with Liga Portugal.
Bet365
Bet365 is another gaming business with a stake in the sponsorship game. It is a UK-based online gambling business that was established in 2000 and now has hundreds of betting shops across the world as well as a large online presence for both sports betting and casino games. Bet365, like Bwin, has a long history of sponsoring sports teams. Bet365 announced a major increase of its sponsorship portfolio in 2018/2019 by securing partnerships with ten La Liga clubs. RCD Espanyol, Villarreal, Athletic Club, Real Betis, Getafe, SD Huesca, Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, Real Valladolid, and SD Eibar were among the clubs involved.
Four Premier League clubs are presently sponsored by Bet365: Leicester City, Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. It is also a sponsor of Bet365’s home club, Stoke City Football Club. Even Stoke City FC’s home stadium (previously Britannia Stadium) has been renamed Bet365 Stadium in honor of the gambling business.
Betfair
Betfair is a UK-based online gambling business that provides a Sportsbook, online casino, online bingo, and online poker. It was founded in 2000. It also runs the biggest online betting exchange in the world. Betfair was the first gambling firm to sponsor an English football club in 2002-03, when it sponsored Fulham. Following then, Betfair has sponsored a slew of sports teams, including Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester United, Southampton, Sunderland, Leicester City, and a slew of others.
Betfair is now a three-year sponsor of CONMEBOL’s two major club tournaments, the CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana. This arrangement will last through December 31, 2023. It also has sponsorship agreements with a number of teams both within and outside of football.
Betway
Betway is a worldwide online gambling business that was established in 2006 and offers a sportsbook, casino, and esports platform. Sponsorship is an important element of the company’s worldwide development plan, which is why it regularly supports sports teams, clubs, and events. Over the years, Betway has aggressively pursued various advantageous sponsorship agreements with sports clubs.
West Ham United’s main sponsor is Betway, which has been since 2015, when it initially inked a 20 million pound contract. Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur are two of its active sponsors. Of course, football isn’t the only sport in which Betway is involved. The business is involved in almost every sport imaginable. In horse racing, cricket, snooker, esports, the Bundesliga, NHL, NBA, and other sports, it has sponsorship agreements with clubs, teams, venues, and events.
