Over the last couple of weeks, the strengthening of the relationship between two very important groups continued to expand. With the signing of three sponsorship deals between Premiere League teams and operators from the online gambling industry, it has become clear this is a trend that’s not going to dissipate anytime soon.
Up until 10 years ago, there had been reluctance on the part of professional European Football leagues to get involved with the gambling industry on any level. Slowly but surely, the online gambling industry has been able to make inroads with a number of Premiere League clubs that finally came to the realization any concerns the league had about threats to its integrity because of associations with gambling concerns was unfounded. Once the door was opened, online gambling sites like Gclub have found a new marketing friend.
Betway Renews Sponsorship Deal with Premiere League’s West Ham
After a solid run as principle sponsor of the Premiere League’s West Ham United for the last four years, online gambling operator Betway has successfully secured a very important extension of its deal as the football club’s main sponsor until 2025. Under the terms of the extension, West Ham fans can expect to continue seeing the Betway brand represented around the London stadium and on team uniforms.
After news broke of the signing of the extension, West Ham’s Vice Chairman Karen Brady told the press she was very please the football club had the opportunity to extend a deal that has been great for both organizations. She was also pleased by the notion Betway continues to see West Ham as a worthy recipient of the company’s marketing efforts.
W88 Signs Record Deal with Aston Villa
After receiving word of its news promotion to the English Premier League, former Euro League champion Aston Villa F.C. became a primary marketing target for the online gambling industry. Earlier this month, it was announced that a sponsorship deal between Aston Villa and the Asian based betting and gaming firm W88 will see the online bookmaker step in and replace 32Red as the team’s main shirt sponsor for the 2019/20 Premiere League season.
According to Aston Villa’s Chief Commercial Officer Nicola Ibbetson, the organization was very proud to bring W88 into the football club’s family of affiliates. Likewise, Hilly Ehrlich, Business Development Manager of W88 sees this new deal as a great opportunity for both organizations to give Aston Villa football fans what they want from their relationship with the football club.
Bitcoin Bookmaker Sportsbet.io Signs Exclusive Deal with Watford F.C.
Sportsbet.io is one the world’s first online sports betting platforms to permit the use of cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) as its primary source of funding for customers. The sports betting website has only been in operation for three years, building a significant customer base in the relatively short period of time.
The company has clearly indicated its intension to be a major player in the online sports betting industry by signing an exclusive sponsorship deal with the Premiere League’s Watford F.C. Under the terms of the new three-year deal, Sportsbet.io will serve as the club’s primary jersey and training kit sponsor. Watford fans can also expect to see the company’s branding all around the home stadium during home games.
The signing of these three deals brings the number of Premiere League teams with gambling concern sponsorship deals to around a dozen. Given the mutual benefits both groups are expecting to get from these relationships, this is beginning to look like a trend that is going to continue growing over the next few years.
