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Gambling and football have been associated for a long time. Football is one of the biggest sports to bet on both online as well as offline. Over the years, the partnership between the gambling industry and the football industry has evolved to the point that there are billions of people in the business. Seven out of 20 Premier League clubs have a betting brand as their main shirt sponsor. In the Championship League, the portion of clubs with a betting brand sponsor is even higher (17 out of 24 clubs) and it’s become rare to find a top club across Europe without an official betting partner.
One of the key points being discussed on many sports podcasts and magazines is that other sports should embrace the gambling industry - like how football has done - in order to gain large sums of money. While many viewers are against the strong link between football and gambling, it is clear that other sports believe this is the way forward as they are beginning to approach the betting industry in the same manner as football.
Even better the money coming from the gambling industry is helping to support the lower leagues. Over the past few decades, the Football Foundations has received over $300 million from The Premier League for grassroots football. There are also a lot more individual clubs that are putting money into local communities and supporting non-league clubs.
There are brands such as Moon Bingo and other major gambling sites that are aimed more towards the female market. The increase in popularity of the Women’s Super League will be good news for these betting brands. Some bingo brands and slots are designed for female players. As women’s football rises, it can be expected that we see relationships form between bookmakers, casino sites, and major teams such as Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United. Some WSL teams already have betting sponsors however, having more will definitely strengthen the game and help the teams cope in uncertain times like what we’ve experienced with Covid-19.
Last year, the former Arsenal star and England midfielder Paul Merson talked about battling with his gambling addiction. In response to this, Sky Bet (one of the biggest betting companies) took down the adverts that featured him.
However, some companies still challenge the limitations of advertising rules. A YouTube video launched by West Ham's sponsor Betway was recently banned by the Advertising Standards Authority because the 20-year-old Declan Rice midfielder was part of it and gambling advertisements are not intended for anyone below 25. Gambling companies continue to publish heavily on radio and on social media, where exposure to younger people is often difficult to prevent.
The Guardian explained how much the betting industry benefits from something called VIP systems. They are aimed at people who lose the most money to offer rewards to them. Several VIPs have stated that football tickets were often offered in return for their bets. However, some of these VIP systems can be scams. At times an unethical company or website will provide money to problem gamblers who bet with money stolen from clients.
It is unknown how the relationship between the gambling industry and the football industry will go from here. Whether it will continue to grow or die out in the long term. However, one thing is for sure that in the coming years this relationship will be strengthened especially with the impact of Covid-19 which allows the bond it grow. At a time where more clubs are struggling more than ever hopefully this will be good news for them.
One of the key points being discussed on many sports podcasts and magazines is that other sports should embrace the gambling industry - like how football has done - in order to gain large sums of money. While many viewers are against the strong link between football and gambling, it is clear that other sports believe this is the way forward as they are beginning to approach the betting industry in the same manner as football.
Making money
The billions of dollars being pumped into the Premier League is going to help it grow. This is a great thing for the sport. It means that Premier League sides can purchase the very best talent which makes the sport an even more entertaining game for the fans and viewers around the world.Even better the money coming from the gambling industry is helping to support the lower leagues. Over the past few decades, the Football Foundations has received over $300 million from The Premier League for grassroots football. There are also a lot more individual clubs that are putting money into local communities and supporting non-league clubs.
The rise of the women’s game
As more money is coming into the football industry as a whole this means that women’s football is also likely to increase in popularity. This would also benefit the gambling and casino industry because they will be attracting new customers.There are brands such as Moon Bingo and other major gambling sites that are aimed more towards the female market. The increase in popularity of the Women’s Super League will be good news for these betting brands. Some bingo brands and slots are designed for female players. As women’s football rises, it can be expected that we see relationships form between bookmakers, casino sites, and major teams such as Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United. Some WSL teams already have betting sponsors however, having more will definitely strengthen the game and help the teams cope in uncertain times like what we’ve experienced with Covid-19.
Sponsorship
Premier clubs with gambling shirt sponsors include Burnley, Crystal Palac,e Fulham, Leeds United Newcastle United, West Ham United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Other than shirts, companies often sponsor stands or stadiums as well. The Coates family owns the club Stoke City, which also owns Bet365, hence the Bet365 stadium. In combination with pitchside hoardings, gambling logos are visible throughout television football events, even when there is no advertisement. Researchers at Goldsmiths, University of London have discovered that game logos or branding appeared on screen for between 71% and 89% of BBC’s Match of the Day football program.Advertisements
In the context of a growing worry that young fans were overwhelmed with advertisements, the industry recently offered to halt the gambling adverts during games. This was called the whistle-to-whistle ban. However, the voluntary prohibition was not always respected and betting companies are still extensively promoting themselves on TV before and after sports.Last year, the former Arsenal star and England midfielder Paul Merson talked about battling with his gambling addiction. In response to this, Sky Bet (one of the biggest betting companies) took down the adverts that featured him.
However, some companies still challenge the limitations of advertising rules. A YouTube video launched by West Ham's sponsor Betway was recently banned by the Advertising Standards Authority because the 20-year-old Declan Rice midfielder was part of it and gambling advertisements are not intended for anyone below 25. Gambling companies continue to publish heavily on radio and on social media, where exposure to younger people is often difficult to prevent.
Matchday programs and VIP systems
Even the longstanding club programming, is not free to market gambling enterprises, especially when one of the sponsors a home team. The logo for an online casino was used as an answer to the Spot The Difference competition intended for young Birmingham City supporters. 44 Premier League and Championship programs were analyzed only to reveal that they had an average of 2.3 gambling advertisements, 4 times more advertisements than that of alcohol.The Guardian explained how much the betting industry benefits from something called VIP systems. They are aimed at people who lose the most money to offer rewards to them. Several VIPs have stated that football tickets were often offered in return for their bets. However, some of these VIP systems can be scams. At times an unethical company or website will provide money to problem gamblers who bet with money stolen from clients.
Summary
Sports such as the NBA and other US sports are looking to also benefit from creating relationships with gambling brands. Over the last 12 months or so the NBA, NHL and MLB have announced new betting partners. The football industry continues to be the leading trendsetter in working with the gambling industry. It’s possible that we begin to see entirely new betting platforms being integrated into a club's website or stream. The FA Cup recently made a deal with a bookmaker to live stream games, this is also something that the Premier League will be looking into creating and working on with betting sites.It is unknown how the relationship between the gambling industry and the football industry will go from here. Whether it will continue to grow or die out in the long term. However, one thing is for sure that in the coming years this relationship will be strengthened especially with the impact of Covid-19 which allows the bond it grow. At a time where more clubs are struggling more than ever hopefully this will be good news for them.
