Gambling has been prevalent in sports for years and its presence has continue to grow, especially given the expansion of online betting. In the UK, high-street bookies have been accepting online sports wagers since the 2000s. In the US, legal online sports betting is a lot more recent. It was born in 2018 to be precise, after the overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which allowed states to start legalising online sports betting. Growth has been rapid in both regions.
Alongside this, the exposure of gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship has also seen significant growth within sports, including teams, tournaments, leagues and even stadiums.
THE UK MARKET
While gambling sponsorship is seen in many sports in the UK, such as darts, rugby league, horseracing etc., one of the main examples in the UK, naturally, is football, something that comes as no surprise given the size in popularity of the sport within the region. From Stoke City’s home ground being named the bet365 Stadium to Betway being present on the front of West Ham United’s matchday shirts, and even William Hill’s title sponsorship of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), there are a variety of clubs who are in some way, shape or form connected with a gambling company.
The Premier League is by far the largest football league in the UK, if not the world, so the global appeal of gambling companies being involved with clubs in the league is clear to see; especially when it comes to branding and promotion. It has become almost common to associate gambling with football when so many companies in the industry have naming rights, such as Sky Bet’s sponsorship of the English Football League, covering the Championship, League One and League Two, and general involvement surrounding the sport.
However, in recent times there have been concerns raised by some stakeholders regarding gambling’s widespread the sport, highlighted by a recent survey conducted by the Football Supporters’ Association. It showed that three quarters of football fans are concerned about the prevalence of gambling advertising and sponsorship around football. The data also showed that gambling advertising was significantly more likely to influence those who are already experiencing gambling harm to spend additional money and time on gambling
Not only has concern been raised in recent times but, prior to this survey, action had already been taken related to the Premier League. In April 2023, clubs in England’s top tier voted to outlaw front-of-shirt gambling sponsors from the league by the end of the 2025/26 season, becoming the first sports league in the UK to take such action voluntarily to reduce gambling advertising. This decision came ahead of the UK Government’s review of gambling legislation, with the policy proposal described in the UK White Paper as a voluntary commitment by the Premier League. While this has in no way slowed down the plethora of deals still occurring both in the Premier League (more than half of teams in the league have a gambling front-of-shirt sponsor in the 2024/25 season as they cash in before the ban comes into effect) and wider afield in UK sports in general, it does suggest there may be a shift in gambling advertising and sponsorship’s relationship with sports.
Further to this, towards the end of July this year, the EFL, Premier League, The FA and Women’s Super League agreed on a new Code of Conduct for Gambling Related Agreements in Football. This code covered areas such as the protection of children and other vulnerable persons, social responsibility with regards to how gambling sponsorship is promoted and delivered, reinvestment of income for the benefit of football fans and communities, and ensuring integrity is maintained in football competition.
THE US MARKET
On the other hand, in the US, given the overturning of PASPA only took place in 2018,there hasn’t yet been as much scrutiny of gambling sponsorship in the same sense. So, while the US sports betting market continues to expand, reaching more states, teams and leagues, sponsorship by gambling companies within the sporting realm has likewise continued to new heights.
The likes of FanDuel, Caesars Entertainment, BetMGM and DraftKings have secured partnerships through US surrounding the sporting industry; with teams across a number of verticals, including in the MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, NASCAR, among others, as well as the related association for the sports. This branding has also stretched out to companies having brand ambassadors, including sporting stars, such as former NHL player Wayne Gretzky for BetMGM and many, many more.
Sports betting operators not only hold a presence with their corresponding sports team partners in the form of branding and advertising, but on top of this feature in stadiums through sportsbooks. Some examples of this include at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, an obvious choice, where fans can use the BetMGM app to place wagers through MGM Club; then at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Ohio where Caesars partnered with the Cleveland Cavaliers to open a sportsbook in the arena; and at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC where William Hill opened a sportsbook. These sportsbooks will of course vary in size, but generally will be larger than any betting booths/kiosks that might be seen in a football stadium sportsbooks, where people can place bets on their phones, and will feature the branding of the sports betting operator.
This example alone highlights the potential shift between the UK and the US when it comes to sports betting advertising within sports and the potential perceptions surrounding it. While little has been made of the influx of gambling advertising and sponsorship within the US sports market to date, there is the potential that allowing it to get too out of hand may lead to the US following the same path as the UK. Here, we are talking about potential backlash and scrutiny, with sports betting itself already facing criticism in some parts of the US.
To analyse this trend, we spoke with BetMGM UK Director Sam Behar and LiveScore Group CEO Sam Sadi about the differences in gambling sponsorship within sports and what could change.
BETMGM UK
Though BetMGM UK doesn’t have any front-of-shirt partnerships in the Premier League, it does currently have deals with clubs in the division, such as Wolverhampton Wanderers as its official European betting partner, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur as its official betting and front-of training wear partner. Given this, Behar believes the ban in the Premier League won’t affect business for the operator too much.
“I think the impending self-imposed ban on front-of-shirt partnerships is something we support. Our position in the market is bigger, better and more responsible and so we support this because we don’t have any front-of-shirt partnerships; we aren’t planning to have any. We are focusing our efforts on reach in sponsorship in a different way and using our partnerships in a different way in football. And we believe the best route for us to do that, as we’ve displayed this year, is utilising training kit assets and betting partnerships.”
Behar explains that no matter what type of partnership a company may have with a football team, for example in the UK, the rules themselves will still be the same and ultimately “the only benefit you are getting from a front-of-shirt match day partnership is retail,” with BetMGM UK’s Spurs deal meaning fans don’t actually have the sponsor included on the shirts they buy, but rather have a blank non-sponsored shirt.
Looking wider afield, BetMGM UK’s Director highlights that this sort of regulation regarding gambling sponsorship is already seen in other sports both in the UK and in Europe, with there being “self-imposed regulatory requirements on brands appearing on match kit.” Behar believes further rules and regulations in the UK regarding gambling sponsorship may be seen, similar to what we have already in the Premier League and other areas.
“I think that, in general, the UK will continue to strengthen the regulatory position it has on ensuring the protection of minors and those at risk; and if that translates to sports that get broader appeal and broader reach for those people who are at risk or under 18, I’m sure there will be more restrictions in place.”
While BetMGM UK has a number of sponsorships in the world of sport, Behar says the operator does the utmost to ensure what is being promoted is not being advertised to those who are underage or at-risk customers.
“If you look at some of the partnerships we’ve done outside of football, for instance, notably, TalkSport, an adult audience, darts, an adult audience, horseracing, an adult audience, we have focused our primary objectives on ensuring we deliver advertising to customers who are not at risk and who are not underage.”
LIVESCORE GROUP
For LiveScore Group, the majority of its sponsorship deals, especially in recent times, have come about through its Virgin Bet brand in the world of horseracing, such as the sponsorship of Cheltenham’s December Gold Cup. However, with its focus being on the convergence of sports media and sports betting, Sadi can offer detailed knowledge surrounding sports’ relationship with the gambling industry.
Reflecting on the impending ban on front-of-shirt sponsors in the Premier League, the LiveScore Group CEO underlined the potential consequences this could have in a wider sense and the possible change of strategy from companies as a result.
“The impact varies depending on the type of gambling company. For Gambling Commission-regulated companies, the effect will be minimal since few rely heavily on this marketing method. However, offshore operators targeting unregulated territories will lose a key tool for mass brand awareness. Consequently, we may see an increase in regional partnerships as these companies adapt their strategies.”
On whether regulation may lead to fewer gambling partnerships in sport in general, Sadi commented: “That’s a reasonable expectation. In fact, if we exclude newly regulated markets this trend has already materialised in many countries.
“Collaboration is essential,” was the main point made by Sadi when talking about how gambling companies can work with their partners. Especially when it comes to avoiding issues such as advertising to underage fans, pointing out that “both parties must recognise the mutual benefit of protecting underage fans from excessive gambling exposure. They need to agree on this principle and actively seek ways to minimise such exposure.”
As a final point, Sadi delved into the reasons behind the differences between gambling sponsorship in the UK and the US. “The key difference lies in market maturity. In the newly regulated markets such as the US, building brand awareness is crucial due to the lack of established brands. By contrast, the UK market, being more mature, places greater emphasis on performance-led marketing channels. Additionally, in new markets like the US, sponsorships and above-the-line marketing are vital for successful channelisation during the early regulation years; unlike in the UK, where these methods are already well-established but currently facing challenges due to regulation.”