Online Casinos Fall in Love with the Beautiful Game

Sponsorship deals between online betting brands and European football clubs have more than doubled in the last five years. The reason for this blossoming of the relationship is twofold: a clearerregulatory framework for online gambling in the UK and Spain combined with the worldwide recession. Only time will tell whether other European countries follow the UK’s example with regulations that make it clear what kind of online casino advertising is permitted. Meanwhile, with online casinos becoming increasingly aware of markets in Asia (where European football is very popular), their love of the beautiful game may yet grow stronger.

UK Casino Regulation

Since UK law was changed in 2007 allowing gambling companies to advertise on television, many online casinos have taken the opportunity to form partnerships with football clubs to promote their services. Sports betting websites feature most prominently but online casino site logos, such as Genting at Aston Villa or 888.com at Middlesborough, are an increasingly common sight.
Meanwhile, across the border, William Hill began its sponsorship of the Scottish Cup in 2011 in a deal estimated to be worth £1m per year.

And since Championship games have begun being televised even clubs from England’s second tier have been able to attract lucrative sponsorship deals including some from online gambling organisations.

The Recession

While total jersey sponsorship revenue for UK Premiership clubs remains on the climb, the recession may have meant interest from non-gaming sectors has fallen in recent years. This could be another reason that gambling operators have been able to set up deals such as those of 188Bet and 32Red with Bolton and Wigan, each for less than £1m per year. Of course not all deals are as small as these.

Sources: Daily Mail and FC Business

Casino Sponsorship in Spain and Italy

English and Scottish football are by no means the only leagues to have benefited from sports betting and casino and sponsorship. The Spanish and Italian leagues in particular have benefitted hugely from gaming sponsorship revenues in recent years with record deals announced with increasing regularity, mirroring the ever huger sums paid to players.
The single biggest online casino sponsorship deal so far agreed (as of March 2012) is that between Real Madrid and bwin. Party. As well as being one of the most famous sports betting brands, Bwin also owns PartyPoker.com and several bingo and casino sites. Its deal with Real Madrid is rumoured to be worth almost £17 million per year to the club.
Just looking at shirt sponsorship deals by online casinos and sports betting websites reveals that the number of clubs with these brands on their sleeves has more than doubled in the last five years. Meanwhile, with purse strings tightening and with new partnerships being formed all the time it looks like revenue from online gaming companies will only become more important to European football clubs in 2012 and beyond.